Zonal harmonic model of Saturn's magnetic field from Voyager 1 and 2 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connerney, J. E. P.; Ness, N. F.; Acuna, M. H.

1982-01-01

An analysis of the magnetic field of Saturn is presented which takes into account both the Voyager 1 and 2 vector magnetic field observations. The analysis is based on the traditional spherical harmonic expansion of a scale potential to derive the magnetic field within 8 Saturn radii. A third-order zonal harmonic model fitted to Voyager 1 and 2 observations is found to be capable of predicting the magnetic field characteristics at one encounter based on those observed at another, unlike models including dipole and quadrupole terms only. The third-order model is noted to lead to significantly enhanced polar surface field intensities with respect to dipole models, and probably represents the axisymmetric part of a complex dynamo field.

Mariner V: Plasma and Magnetic Fields Observed near Venus.

PubMed

Bridge, H S; Lazarus, A J; Snyder, C W; Smith, E J; Davis, L; Coleman, P J; Jones, D E

1967-12-29

Abrupt changes in the amplitude of the magnetic fluctuations, in the field strength, and in the plasma properties, were observed with Mariner V near Venus. They provide clear evidence for the presence of a bow shock around the planet, similar to, but much smaller than, that observed at Earth. The observations appear consistent with an interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere of Venus. No planetary field could be detected, but a steady radial field and very low plasma density were found 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers behind Venus and 8,000 to 12,000 kilometers from the Sun-Venus line. These observations may be interpreted as relating to an expansion wave tending to fill the cavity produced by Venus in the solar wind. The upper limit to the magnetic dipole moment of Venus is estimated to be within a factor of 2 of 10(-3) items that of Earth.

High-resolution observations of the polar magnetic fields of the sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, H.; Varsik, J.; Zirin, H.

1994-01-01

High-resolution magnetograms of the solar polar region were used for the study of the polar magnetic field. In contrast to low-resolution magnetograph observations which measure the polar magnetic field averaged over a large area, we focused our efforts on the properties of the small magnetic elements in the polar region. Evolution of the filling factor (the ratio of the area occupied by the magnetic elements to the total area) of these magnetic elements, as well as the average magnetic field strength, were studied during the maximum and declining phase of solar cycle 22, from early 1991 to mid-1993. We found that during the sunspot maximum period, the polar regions were occupied by about equal numbers of positive and negative magnetic elements, with equal average field strength. As the solar cycle progresses toward sunspot minimum, the magnetic field elements in the polar region become predominantly of one polarity. The average magnetic field of the dominant polarity elements also increases with the filling factor. In the meanwhile, both the filling factor and the average field strength of the non-dominant polarity elements decrease. The combined effects of the changing filling factors and average field strength produce the observed evolution of the integrated polar flux over the solar cycle. We compared the evolutionary histories of both filling factor and average field strength, for regions of high (70-80 deg) and low (60-70 deg) latitudes. For the south pole, we found no significant evidence of difference in the time of reversal. However, the low-latitude region of the north pole did reverse polarity much earlier than the high-latitude region. It later showed an oscillatory behavior. We suggest this may be caused by the poleward migration of flux from a large active region in 1989 with highly imbalanced flux.

International cometary explorer encounter with giacobini-zinner: magnetic field observations.

PubMed

Smith, E J; Tsurutani, B T; Slvain, J A; Jones, D E; Siscoe, G L; Mendis, D A

1986-04-18

The vector helium magnetometer on the International Cometary Explorer observed the magnetic fields induced by the interaction of comet Giacobini-Zinner with the solar wind. A magnetic tail was penetrated approximately 7800 kilometers downstream from the comet and was found to be 10(4) kilometers wide. It consisted of two lobes, containing oppositely directed fields with strengths up to 60 nanoteslas, separated by a plasma sheet approximately 10(3)kilometers thick containing a thin current sheet. The magnetotail was enclosed in an extended ionosheath characterized by intense hydromagnetic turbulene and interplanetary fields draped around the comet. A distant bow wave, which may or may not have been a bow shock, was observed at both edges of the ionosheath. Weak turbulence was observed well upstream of the bow wave.

The Interplanetary Magnetic Field Observed by Juno Enroute to Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gruesbeck, Jacob R.; Gershman, Daniel J.; Espley, Jared R.; Connerney, John E. P.

2017-01-01

The Juno spacecraft was launched on 5 August 2011 and spent nearly 5 years traveling through the inner heliosphere on its way to Jupiter. The Magnetic Field Investigation was powered on shortly after launch and obtained vector measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) at sample rates from 1 to 64 samples/second. The evolution of the magnetic field with radial distance from the Sun is compared to similar observations obtained by Voyager 1 and 2 and the Ulysses spacecraft, allowing a comparison of the radial evolution between prior solar cycles and the current depressed one. During the current solar cycle, the strength of the IMF has decreased throughout the inner heliosphere. A comparison of the variance of the normal component of the magnetic field shows that near Earth the variability of the IMF is similar during all three solar cycles but may be less at greater radial distances.

First Observations of the Magnetic Field inside the Pillars of Creation: Results from the BISTRO Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pattle, Kate; Ward-Thompson, Derek; Hasegawa, Tetsuo; Bastien, Pierre; Kwon, Woojin; Lai, Shih-Ping; Qiu, Keping; Furuya, Ray; Berry, David; JCMT BISTRO Survey Team

2018-06-01

We present the first high-resolution, submillimeter-wavelength polarimetric observations of—and thus direct observations of the magnetic field morphology within—the dense gas of the Pillars of Creation in M16. These 850 μm observations, taken as part of the B-Fields in Star-forming Region Observations Survey (BISTRO) using the POL-2 polarimeter on the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), show that the magnetic field runs along the length of the Pillars, perpendicular to and decoupled from the field in the surrounding photoionized cloud. Using the Chandrasekhar–Fermi method we estimate a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 170–320 μG in the Pillars, consistent with their having been formed through the compression of gas with initially weak magnetization. The observed magnetic field strength and morphology suggests that the magnetic field may be slowing the Pillars’ evolution into cometary globules. We thus hypothesize that the evolution and lifetime of the Pillars may be strongly influenced by the strength of the coupling of their magnetic field to that of their parent photoionized cloud—i.e., that the Pillars’ longevity results from magnetic support.

Satellite-borne study of seismic phenomena by low frequency magnetic field observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwingenschuh, Konrad; Magnes, Werner; Xuhui, Shen; Wang, Jindong; Pollinger, Andreas; Hagen, Christian; Prattes, Gustav; Eichelberger, Hans-Ulrich; Wolbang, Daniel; Boudjada, Mohammed Y.; Besser, Bruno P.; Rozhnoi, Alexander A.; Zhang, Tielong

2015-04-01

A combined scalar-vector magnetic field experiment will be flown on the upcoming CSES mission (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite). Magnetic field data from DC to 30 Hz will be measured with an accuracy of about 10 pT. A fluxgate instrument will provide the 3 magnetic field components and a new type of an optically pumped magnetometer [see Pollinger, 2010] will measure the magnitude of the ambient magnetic field. The satellite will operate in a Sun synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of about 500 km and with an inclination of 97°. We present a model of magnetic field fluctuations in the upper ionosphere based on previous satellite observations and on a model of the lithospheric-atmospheric-ionospheric coupling. Pollinger et al., CDSM-a new scalar magnetometer, EGU General Assembly 2010

Ulysses Observations of Tripolar Guide-Magnetic Field Perturbations Across Solar Wind Reconnection Exhausts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, S.; Peng, B.; Markidis, S.; Gosling, J. T.; McComas, D. J.; Lapenta, G.; Newman, D. L.

2014-12-01

We report observations from 15 solar wind reconnection exhausts encountered along the Ulysses orbit beyond 4 AU in 1996-1999 and 2002-2005. The events, which lasted between 17 and 45 min, were found at heliospheric latitudes between -36o and 21o with one event detected as high as 58o. All events shared a common characteristic of a tripolar guide-magnetic field perturbation being detected across the observed exhausts. The signature consists of an enhanced guide field magnitude within the exhaust center and two regions of significantly depressed guide-fields adjacent to the center region. The events displayed magnetic field shear angles as low as 37o with a mean of 89o. This corresponds to a strong external guide field relative to the anti-parallel reconnecting component of the magnetic field with a mean ratio of 1.3 and a maximum ratio of 3.1. A 2-D kinetic reconnection simulation for realistic solar wind conditions reveals that tripolar guide fields form at current sheets in the presence of multiple X-lines as two magnetic islands interact with one another for such strong guide fields. The Ulysses observations are also compared with the results of a 3-D kinetic simulation of multiple flux ropes in a strong guide field.

Coronal structures deduced from photospheric magnetic field and He I lambda 10830 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Karen L.

1995-01-01

The National Solar Observatory synoptic program provides an extensive and unique data base of high-resolution full-disk observations of the line-of-sight photospheric magnetic fields and of the He I lambda 10830 equivalent width. These data have been taken nearly daily for more than 21 years since 1974 and provide the opportunity to investigate the behavior of the magnetic fields in the photosphere and those inferred for the corona spanning on the time scales of a day to that of a solar cycle. The intensity of structures observed in He I lambda 10830 are strongly modulated by overlying coronal radiation; areas with low coronal emission are generally brighter in He I lambda 10830, while areas with high coronal emission are darker. For this reason, He I lambda 10830 was selected in the mid-1970's as way to identify and monitor coronal holes, magnetic fields with an open configuration, and the sources of high-speed solar wind streams. The He I lambda 10830 spectroheliograms also show a wide variety of other structures from small-scale, short-lived dark points (less than 30 arc-sec, hours) to the large-scale, long-lived two 'ribbon' flare events that follow the filament eruptions (1000 arc-sec, days). Such structures provide clues about the connections and changes in the large-scale coronal magnetic fields that are rooted in concentrations of magnetic network and active regions in the photosphere. In this paper, what observations of the photospheric magnetic field and He I lambda 10830 can tell us about the short- and long-term evolution of the coronal magnetic fields will be discussed, focussing on the quiet Sun and coronal holes. These data and what we infer from them will be compared with direct observations of the coronal structure from the Yohkoh Soft X-ray Telescope.

Modular model for Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within the average observed magnetopause.

PubMed

Korth, Haje; Tsyganenko, Nikolai A; Johnson, Catherine L; Philpott, Lydia C; Anderson, Brian J; Al Asad, Manar M; Solomon, Sean C; McNutt, Ralph L

2015-06-01

Accurate knowledge of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field is required to understand the sources of the planet's internal field. We present the first model of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within a magnetopause shape derived from Magnetometer observations by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft. The field of internal origin is approximated by a dipole of magnitude 190 nT R M 3 , where R M is Mercury's radius, offset northward by 479 km along the spin axis. External field sources include currents flowing on the magnetopause boundary and in the cross-tail current sheet. The cross-tail current is described by a disk-shaped current near the planet and a sheet current at larger (≳ 5  R M ) antisunward distances. The tail currents are constrained by minimizing the root-mean-square (RMS) residual between the model and the magnetic field observed within the magnetosphere. The magnetopause current contributions are derived by shielding the field of each module external to the magnetopause by minimizing the RMS normal component of the magnetic field at the magnetopause. The new model yields improvements over the previously developed paraboloid model in regions that are close to the magnetopause and the nightside magnetic equatorial plane. Magnetic field residuals remain that are distributed systematically over large areas and vary monotonically with magnetic activity. Further advances in empirical descriptions of Mercury's magnetospheric external field will need to account for the dependence of the tail and magnetopause currents on magnetic activity and additional sources within the magnetosphere associated with Birkeland currents and plasma distributions near the dayside magnetopause.

Modular model for Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within the average observed magnetopause

PubMed Central

Tsyganenko, Nikolai A.; Johnson, Catherine L.; Philpott, Lydia C.; Anderson, Brian J.; Al Asad, Manar M.; Solomon, Sean C.; McNutt, Ralph L.

2015-01-01

Abstract Accurate knowledge of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field is required to understand the sources of the planet's internal field. We present the first model of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within a magnetopause shape derived from Magnetometer observations by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft. The field of internal origin is approximated by a dipole of magnitude 190 nT RM 3, where RM is Mercury's radius, offset northward by 479 km along the spin axis. External field sources include currents flowing on the magnetopause boundary and in the cross‐tail current sheet. The cross‐tail current is described by a disk‐shaped current near the planet and a sheet current at larger (≳ 5 RM) antisunward distances. The tail currents are constrained by minimizing the root‐mean‐square (RMS) residual between the model and the magnetic field observed within the magnetosphere. The magnetopause current contributions are derived by shielding the field of each module external to the magnetopause by minimizing the RMS normal component of the magnetic field at the magnetopause. The new model yields improvements over the previously developed paraboloid model in regions that are close to the magnetopause and the nightside magnetic equatorial plane. Magnetic field residuals remain that are distributed systematically over large areas and vary monotonically with magnetic activity. Further advances in empirical descriptions of Mercury's magnetospheric external field will need to account for the dependence of the tail and magnetopause currents on magnetic activity and additional sources within the magnetosphere associated with Birkeland currents and plasma distributions near the dayside magnetopause. PMID:27656335

MAVEN Observations of Energy-Time Dispersed Electron Signatures in Martian Crustal Magnetic Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harada, Y.; Mitchell, D. L.; Halekas, J. S.; McFadden, J. P.; Mazelle, C.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Espley, J.; Brain, D. A.; Larson, D. E.; Lillis, R. J.;

Reconstructing solar magnetic fields from historical observations. II. Testing the surface flux transport model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtanen, I. O. I.; Virtanen, I. I.; Pevtsov, A. A.; Yeates, A.; Mursula, K.

2017-07-01

Aims: We aim to use the surface flux transport model to simulate the long-term evolution of the photospheric magnetic field from historical observations. In this work we study the accuracy of the model and its sensitivity to uncertainties in its main parameters and the input data. Methods: We tested the model by running simulations with different values of meridional circulation and supergranular diffusion parameters, and studied how the flux distribution inside active regions and the initial magnetic field affected the simulation. We compared the results to assess how sensitive the simulation is to uncertainties in meridional circulation speed, supergranular diffusion, and input data. We also compared the simulated magnetic field with observations. Results: We find that there is generally good agreement between simulations and observations. Although the model is not capable of replicating fine details of the magnetic field, the long-term evolution of the polar field is very similar in simulations and observations. Simulations typically yield a smoother evolution of polar fields than observations, which often include artificial variations due to observational limitations. We also find that the simulated field is fairly insensitive to uncertainties in model parameters or the input data. Due to the decay term included in the model the effects of the uncertainties are somewhat minor or temporary, lasting typically one solar cycle.

The interpretation of sunspot magnetic field observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, M. G.

1985-03-01

Magnetic field strengths and directions of the lines of force have been measured over two large sunspots in 1975 and 1976 using Treanor's (cf Adam, 1971, 1975) method. Further refinements in observational technique reduce the effects of instrumental polarization to a small phase change, and the reduction procedure has been made more objective. The new observations confirm the existence of differences between the polarization states of the red and violet Zeeman sigma-components in some regions of the spots. These differences, which are especially associated with light bridges and streamers, are attributed to magnetooptical effects, coupled with Doppler shifts, in extraneous material lying over the spots.

Calculating Coronal Mass Ejection Magnetic Field at 1 AU Using Solar Observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J.; Kunkel, V.

2013-12-01

It is well-established that most major nonrecurrent geomagnetic storms are caused by solar wind structures with long durations of strong southward (Bz < 0) interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Such geoeffective IMF structures are associated with CME events at the Sun. Unfortunately, neither the duration nor the internal magnetic field vector of the ejecta--the key determinants of geoeffectiveness--is measurable until the observer (e.g., Earth) passes through the ejecta. In this paper, we discuss the quantitative relationships between the ejecta magnetic field at 1 AU and remotely observable solar quantities associated with the eruption of a given CME. In particular, we show that observed CME trajectories (position-time data) within, say, 1/3 AU of the Sun, contain sufficient information to allow the calculation of the ejecta magnetic field (magnitude and components) at 1 AU using the Erupting Flux Rope (EFR) model of CMEs. Furthermore, in order to accurately determine the size and arrival time of the ejecta as seen by a fixed observer at 1 AU (e.g., ACE), it is essential to accurately calculate the three-dimensional geometry of the underlying magnetic structure. Accordingly, we have extended the physics-based EFR model to include a self-consistent calculation of the transverse expansion taking into account the non-symmetric drag coupling between an expanding CME flux rope and the ambient solar wind. The dependence of the minor radius of the flux rope at 1 AU that determines the perceived size of the ejecta on solar quantities is discussed. Work supported by the NRL Base Program.

Subsolar magnetopause observation and kinetic simulation of a tripolar guide magnetic field perturbation consistent with a magnetic island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, S.; Cassak, P. A.; Retinò, A.; Mozer, F. S.

2016-04-01

The Polar satellite recorded two reconnection exhausts within 6 min on 1 April 2001 across a subsolar magnetopause that displayed a symmetric plasma density, but different out-of-plane magnetic field signatures for similar solar wind conditions. The first magnetopause crossing displayed a bipolar guide field variation in a weak external guide field consistent with a symmetric Hall field from a single X line. The subsequent crossing represents the first observation of a tripolar guide field perturbation at Earth's magnetopause in a strong guide field. This perturbation consists of a significant guide field enhancement between two narrow guide field depressions. A particle-in-cell simulation for the prevailing conditions across this second event resulted in a magnetic island between two simulated X lines across which a tripolar guide field developed consistent with the observation. The simulated island supports a scenario whereby Polar encountered the asymmetric quadrupole Hall magnetic fields between two X lines for symmetric conditions across the magnetopause.

MAVEN observations of complex magnetic field configuration in the Martian magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBraccio, G. A.; Luhmann, J. G.; Curry, S.; Espley, J. R.; Gruesbeck, J.; Xu, S.; Mitchell, D. L.; Soobiah, Y. I. J.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Dong, C.; Harada, Y.; Ruhunusiri, S.; Halekas, J. S.; Hara, T.; Ma, Y.; Brain, D.; Jakosky, B. M.

2017-12-01

The magnetosphere of Mars has attributes of both induced and intrinsic magnetospheres, forming as a result of direct solar wind interaction with the planet's upper atmosphere and local crustal magnetic fields. Magnetic reconnection is able to occur between the draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and closed crustal magnetic fields, creating an open field topology with one end attached to the planet and the other flowing in the solar wind. For this reason, the Martian magnetotail becomes a complex menagerie of various field topologies that may contribute to atmospheric escape to space. We explore these magnetic topologies in the Martian magnetotail using a combination of observations from the the Mars Atmosphere Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft along with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Preliminary MHD results suggest that the central tail contains two lobes composed of open crustal fields, which are twisted by roughly 45°, either clockwise or counterclockwise from the ecliptic plane, in response to the east-west component of the IMF. These simulated open-field lobes are enveloped by an induced comet-like tail formed by the draped IMF. Using two Earth years of data, we analyze MAVEN Magnetometer and Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) measurements to assess the tail magnetic field configuration as a function of IMF orientation. We infer, through data-model comparisons, that the open-field tail lobes are likely a result of reconnection between the crustal fields and the IMF. The open topology of these fields may in fact contribute to atmospheric loss to space. This investigation confirms that the Martian magnetotail is a hybrid configuration between intrinsic and induced magnetospheres, shifting the paradigm of Mars' magnetosphere as we have understood it thus far.

Magnetic Field Topology in Low-Mass Stars: Spectropolarimetric Observations of M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan-Bao, Ngoc; Lim, Jeremy; Donati, Jean-François; Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; Martín, Eduardo L.

2009-10-01

The magnetic field topology plays an important role in the understanding of stellar magnetic activity. While it is widely accepted that the dynamo action present in low-mass partially convective stars (e.g., the Sun) results in predominantly toroidal magnetic flux, the field topology in fully convective stars (masses below ~0.35 M sun) is still under debate. We report here our mapping of the magnetic field topology of the M4 dwarf G 164-31 (or Gl 490B), which is expected to be fully convective, based on time series data collected from 20 hr of observations spread over three successive nights with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter. Our tomographic imaging technique applied to time series of rotationally modulated circularly polarized profiles reveals an axisymmetric large-scale poloidal magnetic field on the M4 dwarf. We then apply a synthetic spectrum fitting technique for measuring the average magnetic flux on the star. The flux measured in G 164-31 is |Bf| = 3.2 ± 0.4 kG, which is significantly greater than the average value of 0.68 kG determined from the imaging technique. The difference indicates that a significant fraction of the stellar magnetic energy is stored in small-scale structures at the surface of G 164-31. Our Hα emission light curve shows evidence for rotational modulation suggesting the presence of localized structure in the chromosphere of this M dwarf. The radius of the M4 dwarf derived from the rotational period and the projected equatorial velocity is at least 30% larger than that predicted from theoretical models. We argue that this discrepancy is likely primarily due to the young nature of G 164-31 rather than primarily due to magnetic field effects, indicating that age is an important factor which should be considered in the interpretation of this observational result. We also report here our polarimetric observations of five other M dwarfs with spectral types from M0 to M4.5, three of them showing strong Zeeman signatures. Based on

Correlation between magnetic and electric field perturbations in the field-aligned current regions deduced from DE 2 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishii, M.; Sugiura, M.; Iyemori, T.; Slavin, J. A.

1992-01-01

The satellite-observed high correlations between magnetic and electric field perturbations in the high-latitude field-aligned current regions are investigated by examining the dependence of the relationship between Delta-B and E on spatial scale, using the electric and magnetic field data obtained by DE 2 in the polar regions. The results are compared with the Pedersen conductivity inferred from the international reference ionosphere model and the Alfven wave velocity calculated from the in situ ion density and magnetic field measurements.

Microscopic observation of magnetic bacteria in the magnetic field of a rotating permanent magnet.

PubMed

Smid, Pieter; Shcherbakov, Valeriy; Petersen, Nikolai

2015-09-01

Magnetotactic bacteria are ubiquitous and can be found in both freshwater and marine environments. Due to intracellular chains of magnetic single domain particles, they behave like swimming compass needles. In external magnetic fields like the Earth's magnetic field, a torque is acting on the chain. This will cause the bacterium to be rotated and aligned with the external field. The swimming direction of magnetotactic bacteria can be controlled with external magnetic fields, which makes it convenient to study them under a light microscope. Usually, a special set of coils arranged around a light microscope is used to control the swimming magnetotactic bacteria. Here, we present a simple mechanical system with a permanent magnet, which produces a rotating magnetic field of nearly constant amplitude in the focal plane of a light microscope. The device is placed beside the light microscope and easily adaptable to almost any microscope and thus convenient for field experiments. To describe the trajectories qualitatively, a theoretical model of the trajectories is presented. This device can be used to control the swimming direction of magnetotactic bacteria and also for studying their magnetic and hydrodynamic properties.

Multiwavelength observations of magnetic fields and related activity on XI Bootis A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saar, Steven H.; Huovelin, J.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Giampapa, Mark S.; Jordan, Carole

1988-01-01

Preliminary results of coordinated observations of magnetic fields and related activity on the active dwarf, Xi Boo A, are presented. Combining the magnetic fluxes with the linear polarization data, a simple map of the stellar active regions is constructed.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ergun, R. E.; Goodrich, K. A.; Wilder, F. D.; Holmes, J. C.; Stawarz, J. E.; Eriksson, S.; Sturner, A. P.; Malaspina, D. M.; Usanova, M. E.; Torbert, R. B.;

Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites Observations of Parallel Electric Fields Associated with Magnetic Reconnection.

PubMed

Ergun, R E; Goodrich, K A; Wilder, F D; Holmes, J C; Stawarz, J E; Eriksson, S; Sturner, A P; Malaspina, D M; Usanova, M E; Torbert, R B; Lindqvist, P-A; Khotyaintsev, Y; Burch, J L; Strangeway, R J; Russell, C T; Pollock, C J; Giles, B L; Hesse, M; Chen, L J; Lapenta, G; Goldman, M V; Newman, D L; Schwartz, S J; Eastwood, J P; Phan, T D; Mozer, F S; Drake, J; Shay, M A; Cassak, P A; Nakamura, R; Marklund, G

2016-06-10

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites of parallel electric fields (E_{∥}) associated with magnetic reconnection in the subsolar region of the Earth's magnetopause. E_{∥} events near the electron diffusion region have amplitudes on the order of 100  mV/m, which are significantly larger than those predicted for an antiparallel reconnection electric field. This Letter addresses specific types of E_{∥} events, which appear as large-amplitude, near unipolar spikes that are associated with tangled, reconnected magnetic fields. These E_{∥} events are primarily in or near a current layer near the separatrix and are interpreted to be double layers that may be responsible for secondary reconnection in tangled magnetic fields or flux ropes. These results are telling of the three-dimensional nature of magnetopause reconnection and indicate that magnetopause reconnection may be often patchy and/or drive turbulence along the separatrix that results in flux ropes and/or tangled magnetic fields.

The latitudinal structure of Pc 5 waves in space - Magnetic and electric field observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, H. J.; Kivelson, M. G.

1979-01-01

The occurrence frequency and spatial structure of Pc 5 magnetic pulsations in the dawnside of the plasma trough have been studied using data from the Ogo 5 satellite. The wave magnetic fields were obtained from the University of California, Los Angeles, flux-gate magnetometer measurements, and one component of the wave electric field was inferred from oscillations of the ion flux measured by the Lockheed light ion mass spectrometer. During portions of seven of the 19 passes comprising the survey, Pc 5 oscillations were observed in the ion flux but not in the magnetic field, and in each case the satellite was within 10 deg of the geomagnetic equator. Above 10 deg latitude, transverse magnetic and electric oscillations were both observed. The results are consistent with the model of a standing Alfven wave along a resonant field line with the geomagnetic equator as a node of the magnetic perturbation, that is, an odd mode.

Observation of Landau levels on nitrogen-doped flat graphite surfaces without external magnetic fields

PubMed Central

Kondo, Takahiro; Guo, Donghui; Shikano, Taishi; Suzuki, Tetsuya; Sakurai, Masataka; Okada, Susumu; Nakamura, Junji

2015-01-01

Under perpendicular external magnetic fields, two-dimensional carriers exhibit Landau levels (LLs). However, it has recently been reported that LLs have been observed on graphene and graphite surfaces without external magnetic fields being applied. These anomalous LLs have been ascribed primarily to a strain of graphene sheets, leading to in-plane hopping modulation of electrons. Here, we report the observation of the LLs of massive Dirac fermions on atomically flat areas of a nitrogen-doped graphite surface in the absence of external magnetic fields. The corresponding magnetic fields were estimated to be as much as approximately 100 T. The generation of the LLs at the area with negligible strain can be explained by inequivalent hopping of π electrons that takes place at the perimeter of high-potential domains surrounded by positively charged substituted graphitic-nitrogen atoms. PMID:26549618

Probing Twisted Magnetic Field Using Microwave Observations in an M Class Solar Flare on 11 February, 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharykin, I. N.; Kuznetsov, A. A.; Myshyakov, I. I.

2018-02-01

This work demonstrates the possibility of magnetic-field topology investigations using microwave polarimetric observations. We study a solar flare of GOES M1.7 class that occurred on 11 February, 2014. This flare revealed a clear signature of spatial inversion of the radio-emission polarization sign. We show that the observed polarization pattern can be explained by nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission from the twisted magnetic structure. Using observations of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Radio Solar Telescope Network, and Solar Dynamics Observatory, we have determined the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma and identified the magnetic structure where the flare energy release occurred. To reconstruct the coronal magnetic field, we use nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) and potential magnetic-field approaches. Radio emission of nonthermal electrons is simulated by the GX Simulator code using the extrapolated magnetic field and the parameters of nonthermal electrons and thermal plasma inferred from the observations; the model radio maps and spectra are compared with observations. We have found that the potential-magnetic-field approach fails to explain the observed circular polarization pattern; on the other hand, the Stokes-V map is successfully explained by assuming nonthermal electrons to be distributed along the twisted magnetic structure determined by the NLFFF extrapolation approach. Thus, we show that the radio-polarization maps can be used for diagnosing the topology of the flare magnetic structures where nonthermal electrons are injected.

Direct observation of the magnetic domain evolution stimulated by temperature and magnetic field in PrMnGeSi alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, S. L.; Zhang, B.; Qiao, K. M.; Peng, L. C.; Li, R.; Xiong, J. F.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, X.; Liu, D.; Zhao, T. Y.; Sun, J. R.; Hu, F. X.; Zhang, Y.; Shen, B. G.

2018-05-01

The magnetic domain evolution behavior under external field stimuli of temperature and magnetic field in PrMn2Ge0.4Si1.6 compound is investigated using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. A spontaneous 180° magnetic domain is observed at room temperature and it changes with temperature. Dynamic magnetization process is related to the rotation of magnetic moments, resulting in the transforming of magnetic domains from 180° type to a uniform ferromagnetic state with almost no pinning effects under the in-plane magnetic field at room temperature. X-ray powder diffraction is performed on PrMn2Ge0.4Si1.6 at different temperatures to study the temperature dependence of crystal structure and lattice parameter.

Toward a Quantitative Comparison of Magnetic Field Extrapolations and Observed Coronal Loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, Harry P.; Crump, Nicholas A.; Ugarte-Urra, Ignacio; Sun, Xudong; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Wiegelmann, Thomas

2018-06-01

It is widely believed that loops observed in the solar atmosphere trace out magnetic field lines. However, the degree to which magnetic field extrapolations yield field lines that actually do follow loops has yet to be studied systematically. In this paper, we apply three different extrapolation techniques—a simple potential model, a nonlinear force-free (NLFF) model based on photospheric vector data, and an NLFF model based on forward fitting magnetic sources with vertical currents—to 15 active regions that span a wide range of magnetic conditions. We use a distance metric to assess how well each of these models is able to match field lines to the 12202 loops traced in coronal images. These distances are typically 1″–2″. We also compute the misalignment angle between each traced loop and the local magnetic field vector, and find values of 5°–12°. We find that the NLFF models generally outperform the potential extrapolation on these metrics, although the differences between the different extrapolations are relatively small. The methodology that we employ for this study suggests a number of ways that both the extrapolations and loop identification can be improved.

Subcritical and supercritical interplanetary shocks - Magnetic field and energetic particle observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavassano-Cattaneo, M. B.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Smith, E. J.; Lin, R. P.

1986-01-01

A study of 34 forward interplanetary shocks observed by ISEE 3 during 1978 and 1979 has been conducted. Magnetic field and high-energy particle data have been used, and for each shock the first critical Mach number has been determined. The first surprising result is that the majority of the observed shocks appear to be supercritical, and consistent with their supercritical character, many shocks have a foot and/or an overshoot in the magnetic field structure. Large-amplitude low-frequency waves (period of about 20 s in the spacecraft frame) are commonly observed upstream of all supercritical shocks (except for a few quasi-perpendicular shocks) and also upstream of the few subcritical shocks. Intense particle events are frequently observed at many shocks: spikes at quasi-perpendicular shocks and energetic storm particle events associated with quasi-parallel shocks can be comparably intense. The correlation of the high-energy particle peak flux with various shock parameters is in agreement with the acceleration mechanisms proposed by previous studies.

Observation of nanoscale magnetic fields using twisted electron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grillo, Vincenzo; Harvey, Tyler R.; Venturi, Federico

Electron waves give an unprecedented enhancement to the field of microscopy by providing higher resolving power compared to their optical counterpart. Further information about a specimen, such as electric and magnetic features, can be revealed in electron microscopy because electrons possess both a magnetic moment and charge. In-plane magnetic structures in materials can be studied experimentally using the effect of the Lorentz force. On the other hand, full mapping of the magnetic field has hitherto remained challenging. Here we measure a nanoscale out-of-plane magnetic field by interfering a highly twisted electron vortex beam with a reference wave. We implement amore » recently developed holographic technique to manipulate the electron wavefunction, which gives free electrons an additional unbounded quantized magnetic moment along their propagation direction. Our finding demonstrates that full reconstruction of all three components of nanoscale magnetic fields is possible without tilting the specimen.« less

Observation of nanoscale magnetic fields using twisted electron beams

DOE PAGES

Grillo, Vincenzo; Harvey, Tyler R.; Venturi, Federico; ...

2017-09-25

Electron waves give an unprecedented enhancement to the field of microscopy by providing higher resolving power compared to their optical counterpart. Further information about a specimen, such as electric and magnetic features, can be revealed in electron microscopy because electrons possess both a magnetic moment and charge. In-plane magnetic structures in materials can be studied experimentally using the effect of the Lorentz force. On the other hand, full mapping of the magnetic field has hitherto remained challenging. Here we measure a nanoscale out-of-plane magnetic field by interfering a highly twisted electron vortex beam with a reference wave. We implement amore » recently developed holographic technique to manipulate the electron wavefunction, which gives free electrons an additional unbounded quantized magnetic moment along their propagation direction. Our finding demonstrates that full reconstruction of all three components of nanoscale magnetic fields is possible without tilting the specimen.« less

Magnetic Field Observations of Partial Ring Current during Storm Recovery Phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, G.; Russell, C. T.; Slavin, J. A.; Lucek, E. A.

2008-01-01

We present results of an extensive survey of the magnetic field observations in the inner magnetosphere using 30 years of magnetospheric magnetic field data from Polar, Cluster, ISEE, and AMPTE/CCE missions. The purpose of this study is to understand the magnetic field evolution during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms, and its implication to the ring current recovery and loss mechanisms of ring current particles. It is now commonly believed that a strong partial ring current is formed during the storm main phase due to the enhanced earthward convection of energetic ions from nightside plasma sheet. But the presence of a strong partial ring current throughout the recovery phase remains controversial. The magnetic field generated by the ring current inflates the inner magnetosphere and causes magnetic field depressions in the equatorial magnetosphere. During the storm recovery phase, we find that the distribution of the equatorial magnetic field depression exhibits similar local time dependence as the ring current distribution obtained from the combined dataset in the earlier study. It shows that a strong partial ring current is a permanent feature throughout the recovery phase. In the early recovery phase, the partial ring current peaks near the dusk terminator as indicated by the peak of the magnetic field depression. As the recovery phase progresses, the partial ring current decays most quickly near the dusk and results in a dusk-to-midnight moving of the peak of the partial ring current. Thus the loss mechanisms work most effectively near the dusk. The magnetic field depression increases the gyroradius of ring current protons to a scale greater or comparable to the thickness of the magnetopause, which increases the chance of ion drift loss near the dusk magnetopause at larger L-shell (L greater than 5). But the drift loss mechanism alone cannot explain the loss of ring current ions especially in the smaller L-shell (L less than 5). The precipitation loss

Magnetic Fields Versus Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hensley, Kerry

2018-04-01

Deep within giant molecular clouds, hidden by dense gas and dust, stars form. Unprecedented data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reveal the intricate magnetic structureswoven throughout one of the most massive star-forming regions in the Milky Way.How Stars Are BornThe Horsehead Nebulasdense column of gas and dust is opaque to visible light, but this infrared image reveals the young stars hidden in the dust. [NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team]Simple theory dictates that when a dense clump of molecular gas becomes massive enough that its self-gravity overwhelms the thermal pressure of the cloud, the gas collapses and forms a star. In reality, however, star formation is more complicated than a simple give and take between gravity and pressure. Thedusty molecular gas in stellar nurseries is permeated with magnetic fields, which are thought to impede the inward pull of gravity and slow the rate of star formation.How can we learn about the magnetic fields of distant objects? One way is by measuring dust polarization. An elongated dust grain will tend to align itself with its short axis parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. This systematic alignment of the dust grains along the magnetic field lines polarizes the dust grains emission perpendicular to the local magnetic field. This allows us to infer the direction of the magnetic field from the direction of polarization.Magnetic field orientations for protostars e2 and e8 derived from Submillimeter Array observations (panels a through c) and ALMA observations (panels d and e). Click to enlarge. [Adapted from Koch et al. 2018]Tracing Magnetic FieldsPatrick Koch (Academia Sinica, Taiwan) and collaborators used high-sensitivity ALMA observations of dust polarization to learn more about the magnetic field morphology of Milky Way star-forming region W51. W51 is one of the largest star-forming regions in our galaxy, home to high-mass protostars e2, e8, and North.The ALMA observations reveal

Possible signature of the magnetic fields related to quasi-periodic oscillations observed in microquasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kološ, Martin; Tursunov, Arman; Stuchlík, Zdeněk

2017-12-01

The study of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of X-ray flux observed in the stellar-mass black hole binaries can provide a powerful tool for testing of the phenomena occurring in the strong gravity regime. Magnetized versions of the standard geodesic models of QPOs can explain the observationally fixed data from the three microquasars. We perform a successful fitting of the HF QPOs observed for three microquasars, GRS 1915+105, XTE 1550-564 and GRO 1655-40, containing black holes, for magnetized versions of both epicyclic resonance and relativistic precession models and discuss the corresponding constraints of parameters of the model, which are the mass and spin of the black hole and the parameter related to the external magnetic field. The estimated magnetic field intensity strongly depends on the type of objects giving the observed HF QPOs. It can be as small as 10^{-5} G if electron oscillatory motion is relevant, but it can be by many orders higher for protons or ions (0.02-1 G), or even higher for charged dust or such exotic objects as lighting balls, etc. On the other hand, if we know by any means the magnetic field intensity, our model implies strong limit on the character of the oscillating matter, namely its specific charge.

The magnetic field of the earth - Performance considerations for space-based observing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, W. J., Jr.; Taylor, P. T.; Schnetzler, C. C.; Langel, R. A.

1985-01-01

Basic problems inherent in carrying out observations of the earth magnetic field from space are reviewed. It is shown that while useful observations of the core and crustal fields are possible at the peak of the solar cycle, the greatest useful data volume is obtained during solar minimum. During the last three solar cycles, the proportion of data with a planetary disturbance index of less than 2 at solar maximum was in the range 0.4-0.8 in comparison with solar minimum. It is found that current state of the art orbit determination techniques should eliminate orbit error as a problem in gravitational field measurements from space. The spatial resolution obtained for crustal field anomalies during the major satellite observation programs of the last 30 years are compared in a table. The relationship between observing altitude and the spatial resolution of magnetic field structures is discussed. Reference is made to data obtained using the Magsat, the Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (POGO), and instruments on board the Space Shuttle.

Initial pioneer venus magnetic field results: dayside observations.

PubMed

Russell, C T; Elphic, R C; Slavin, J A

1979-02-23

Initial observations by the Pioneer Venus mangnetometer in the sunlit ionosphere reveal a dynamic ionosphere, very responsive to external solar-wind conditions. The localtions of the bow shock and ionosphere are variable. The strength of the magnetic field just olutside the ionopause is in approximate pressure balance with the thermal plasma of the ionosphere and changes markedly from day, to day in response to changes in solar wind pressure. The field strength in the ionosphere is also variable from day to day. The field is often weak, at most a few gammas, but reaching many tens of gammas for periods of the order of seconds. These field enchantments are interpreted as due to the passage of spacecraft through flux ropes consisting of bundles of twisted field lines surrounded by the ionospheric plasma. The helicity of the flux varies through the flux tube, with lows pitch angles on the inside and very lage angles in the low-field outer edges of the ropes. These ropes may have external or internal sources. Consistent with previous results, the average position of the bow shock is much closer to the planet than would be expected if the solar wnd were completely deflected by the planet. In total, these observations indicate that the solar wind plays a significant role in the physics of the Venus ionosphere.

Solar magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hood, Alan W.; Hughes, David W.

2011-08-01

This review provides an introduction to the generation and evolution of the Sun's magnetic field, summarising both observational evidence and theoretical models. The eleven year solar cycle, which is well known from a variety of observed quantities, strongly supports the idea of a large-scale solar dynamo. Current theoretical ideas on the location and mechanism of this dynamo are presented. The solar cycle influences the behaviour of the global coronal magnetic field and it is the eruptions of this field that can impact on the Earth's environment. These global coronal variations can be modelled to a surprising degree of accuracy. Recent high resolution observations of the Sun's magnetic field in quiet regions, away from sunspots, show that there is a continual evolution of a small-scale magnetic field, presumably produced by small-scale dynamo action in the solar interior. Sunspots, a natural consequence of the large-scale dynamo, emerge, evolve and disperse over a period of several days. Numerical simulations can help to determine the physical processes governing the emergence of sunspots. We discuss the interaction of these emerging fields with the pre-existing coronal field, resulting in a variety of dynamic phenomena.

Observations of the magnetic field and plasma flow in Jupiter's magnetosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lepping, R. P.; Burlaga, L. F.; Klein, L. W.; Jessen, J. M.; Goodrich, G. C.

1980-01-01

Large scale (many minutes to 10 hours) magnetic field structures consisting predominantly of nearly north-south field direction were discovered in Jupiter's magnetosheath from the data of Voyagers 1 and 2 and Pioneer 10 during their outbound encounter trajectories. The Voyager 2 data, and that of Voyager 1 to a lesser extent, show evidence of a quasi-period of 10 hours (and occasionally 5 hours) for these structures. The north-south components of the field and plasma velocity were strongly correlated in the outbound magnetosheath as observed by Voyagers 1 and 2, and the components orthogonal to the north-south direction showed weak correlations. For both Voyager encounters the sense (positive and negative) of the north-south correlations were directly related to the direction of the ecliptic plane component of the interplanetary magnetic field using the field and plasma measurements of the non-encountering spacecraft.

Probing the Earth's core with magnetic field observations from Swarm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finlay, Christopher; Olsen, Nils; Kotsiaros, Stavros; Gillet, Nicolas; Tøffner-Clausen, Lars

2016-07-01

By far the largest part of the Earth's magnetic field is generated by motions taking place within our planet's liquid metal outer core. Variations of this core-generated field thus provide a unique means of probing the dynamics taking place in the deepest reaches of the Earth. In this contribution we present a new high resolution model of the core-generated magnetic field, and its recent time changes, derived from a dataset that includes more two years of observations from the Swarm mission. Resulting inferences regarding the underlying core flow, its dynamics, and the nature of the geodynamo process will be discussed. The CHAOS-6 geomagnetic field model, covering the interval 1999-2016, is derived from magnetic data collected by the three Swarm missions, as well as the earlier CHAMP and Oersted satellites, and monthly means data collected from 160 ground observatories. Advantage is taken of the constellation aspect of the Swarm mission by ingesting both scalar and vector field differences along-track and across track between the lower pair of Swarm satellites. The internal part of the model consists of a spherical harmonic (SH) expansion, time-dependent for degrees 20 and below. The model coefficients are estimated using a regularized, iteratively reweighted, least squares scheme involving Huber weights. At Earth's surface, CHAOS-6 shows evidence for positive acceleration of the field intensity in 2015 over a broad area around longitude 90deg E that is also seen at ground observatories such as Novosibirsk. At the core surface, we are able to map the secular variation (linear trend in the magnetic field) up to SH degree 16. The radial field acceleration at the core surface in 2015 is found be largest at low latitudes under the India-South East Asia region and under the region of northern South America, as well as at high northern latitudes under Alaska and Siberia. Surprisingly, there is also evidence for some acceleration in the central Pacific region, for example

Results of magnetic field measurements performed with the 6-m telescope. IV. Observations in 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanyuk, I. I.; Semenko, E. A.; Kudryavtsev, D. O.; Moiseeva, A. V.; Yakunin, I. A.

2017-10-01

We present the results of measurements of magnetic fields, radial velocities and rotation velocities for 92 objects, mainly main-sequence chemically peculiar stars. Observations were performed at the 6-m BTA telescope using Main Stellar Spectrograph with a Zeeman analyzer. In 2010, twelve new magnetic stars were discovered: HD 17330, HD 29762, HD 49884, HD 54824, HD 89069, HD 96003, HD 113894, HD 118054, HD 135679, HD 138633, HD 138777, BD +53.1183. The presence of a field is suspected in HD 16705, HD 35379 and HD 35881. Observations of standard stars without a magnetic field confirm the absence of systematic errors which can introduce distortions into the measurements of longitudinal field. The paper gives comments on the results of investigation of each star.

Magnetic Field Observations of Partial Ring Current during Storm Recovery Phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, Guan; Russell, C. T.; Slavin, J. A.; Lucek, E. A.

2007-01-01

We present results of an extensive survey of the magnetic field observations in the inner magnetosphere using 30 years of magnetospheric magnetic field data from Polar, Cluster, ISEE, and AMPTE/CCE missions. The purpose of this study is to understand the magnetic field evolution during the recovery phase of geomagnetic storms, and its implication to the ring current recovery and loss mechanisms of ring current particles. Our previous work on global ring current distribution [Le et al., 2004] has shown that a significant partial ring current is always present at all Dst levels (regardless of storm phases) even for quiet time ring current. The total current carried by the partial ring current is much stronger than (during stormtime) or at least comparable to (during quiet time) the symmetric ring current. It is now commonly believed that a strong partial ring current is formed during the storm main phase due to the enhanced earthward convection of energetic ions from nightside plasma sheet. But the presence of a strong partial ring current throughout the recovery phase remains controversial. The magnetic field generated by the ring current inflates the inner magnetosphere and causes magnetic field depressions in the equatorial magnetosphere. During the storm recovery phase, we find that the distribution of the equatorial magnetic field depression exhibits similar local time dependence as the ring current distribution obtained from the combined dataset in the earlier study. It shows that a strong partial ring current is a permanent feature throughout the recovery phase. In the early recovery phase, the partial ring current peaks near the dusk terminator as indicated by the peak of the magnetic field depression. As the recovery phase progresses, the partial ring current decays most quickly near the dusk and results in a dusk-to-midnight moving of the peak of the partial ring current. Thus the loss mechanisms work most effectively near the dusk. The magnetic field

Attainment of students’ conception in magnetic fields by using of direct observation and symbolic language ability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desy Fatmaryanti, Siska; Suparmi; Sarwanto; Ashadi

2017-11-01

This study focuses on description attainment of students’ conception in the magnetic field. The conception was based by using of direct observation and symbolic language ability. The method used is descriptive quantitative research. The subject of study was about 86 students from 3 senior high school at Purworejo. The learning process was done by guided inquiry model. During the learning, students were required to actively investigate the concept of a magnetic field around a straight wire electrical current Data retrieval was performed using an instrument in the form of a multiple choice test reasoned and observation during the learning process. There was four indicator of direct observation ability and four indicators of symbolic language ability to grouping category of students conception. The results of average score showed that students conception about the magnitude more better than the direction of magnetic fields in view of symbolic language. From the observation, we found that students could draw the magnetic fields line not from a text book but their direct observation results. They used various way to get a good accuracy of observation results. Explicit recommendations are presented in the discussion section at the end of this paper.

Vector magnetic field observations with the Haleakala polarimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mickey, D. L.

1985-01-01

Several enhancements were recently made to the Haleakala polarimeter. Linear array detectors provide simultaneous resolution over a 3-A wavelength range, with spectral resolution of 40 mA. Optical fibers are now used to carry the intensity-modulated light from the rotating quarter-wave plate polarimeter to the echelle spectrometer, permitting its removal from the spar to a more stable environment. These changes, together with improved quarter-wave plates, reduced systematic errors to a few parts in 10,000 for routine observations. Examples of Stokes profiles and derived magnetic field maps are presented.

Observation of linear and quadratic magnetic field-dependence of magneto-photocurrents in InAs/GaSb superlattice

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We experimentally studied the magneto-photocurrents generated by direct interband transition in InAs/GaSb type II superlattice. By varying the magnetic field direction, we observed that an in-plane magnetic field induces a photocurrent linearly proportional to the magnetic field; however, a magnetic field tilted to the sample plane induces a photocurrent presenting quadratic magnetic field dependence. The magneto-photocurrents in both conditions are insensitive to the polarization state of the incident light. Theoretical models involving excitation, relaxation and Hall effect are utilized to explain the experimental results. PMID:24936166

Analysis of the interplanetary magnetic field observations at different heliocentric distances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khabarova, Olga

2013-04-01

Multi-spacecraft measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) from 0.29 AU to 5 AU along the ecliptic plane have demonstrated systematic deviations of the observed IMF strength from the values predicted on the basis of the Parker-like radial extension models (Khabarova, Obridko, 2012). In particular, it was found that the radial IMF component |Br| decreases with a heliocentric distance r with a slope of -5/3 (instead of r-2 expansion law). The current investigation of multi-point observations continues the analysis of the IMF (and, especially, Br) large-scale behaviour, including its latitudinal distribution. Additionally, examples of the mismatches between the expected IMF characteristics and observations at smaller scales are discussed. It is shown that the observed effects may be explained by not complete IMF freezing-in to the solar wind plasma. This research was supported by the Russian Fund of Basic Researches' grants Nos.11-02-00259-a, and 12-02-10008-K. Khabarova Olga, and Obridko Vladimir, Puzzles of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field in the Inner Heliosphere, 2012, Astrophysical Journal, 761, 2, 82, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/761/2/82, http://arxiv.org/pdf/1204.6672v2.pdf

Observation of force-detected nuclear magnetic resonance in a homogeneous field

PubMed Central

Madsen, L. A.; Leskowitz, G. M.; Weitekamp, D. P.

2004-01-01

We report the experimental realization of BOOMERANG (better observation of magnetization, enhanced resolution, and no gradient), a sensitive and general method of magnetic resonance. The prototype millimeter-scale NMR spectrometer shows signal and noise levels in agreement with the design principles. We present 1H and 19F NMR in both solid and liquid samples, including time-domain Fourier transform NMR spectroscopy, multiple-pulse echoes, and heteronuclear J spectroscopy. By measuring a 1H-19F J coupling, this last experiment accomplishes chemically specific spectroscopy with force-detected NMR. In BOOMERANG, an assembly of permanent magnets provides a homogeneous field throughout the sample, while a harmonically suspended part of the assembly, a detector, is mechanically driven by spin-dependent forces. By placing the sample in a homogeneous field, signal dephasing by diffusion in a field gradient is made negligible, enabling application to liquids, in contrast to other force-detection methods. The design appears readily scalable to μm-scale samples where it should have sensitivity advantages over inductive detection with microcoils and where it holds great promise for application of magnetic resonance in biology, chemistry, physics, and surface science. We briefly discuss extensions of the BOOMERANG method to the μm and nm scales. PMID:15326302

NON-POTENTIAL FIELDS IN THE QUIET SUN NETWORK: EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET AND MAGNETIC FOOTPOINT OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chesny, D. L.; Oluseyi, H. M.; Orange, N. B.

The quiet Sun (QS) magnetic network is known to contain dynamics which are indicative of non-potential fields. Non-potential magnetic fields forming ''S-shaped'' loop arcades can lead to the breakdown of static activity and have only been observed in high temperature X-ray coronal structures—some of which show eruptive behavior. Thus, analysis of this type of atmospheric structuring has been restricted to large-scale coronal fields. Here we provide the first identification of non-potential loop arcades exclusive to the QS supergranulation network. High-resolution Atmospheric Imaging Assembly data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory have allowed for the first observations of fine-scale ''S-shaped'' loop arcadesmore » spanning the network. We have investigated the magnetic footpoint flux evolution of these arcades from Heliospheric and Magnetic Imager data and find evidence of evolving footpoint flux imbalances accompanying the formation of these non-potential fields. The existence of such non-potentiality confirms that magnetic field dynamics leading to the build up of helicity exist at small scales. QS non-potentiality also suggests a self-similar formation process between the QS network and high temperature corona and the existence of self-organized criticality (SOC) in the form of loop-pair reconnection and helicity dissipation. We argue that this type of behavior could lead to eruptive forms of SOC as seen in active region (AR) and X-ray sigmoids if sufficient free magnetic energy is available. QS magnetic network dynamics may be considered as a coronal proxy at supergranular scales, and events confined to the network can even mimic those in coronal ARs.« less

The complex magnetic field configuration of the Martian magnetotail as observed by MAVEN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBraccio, Gina A.; Luhmann, Janet; Curry, Shannon; Espley, Jared R.; Gruesbeck, Jacob; Xu, Shaosui; Mitchell, David; Soobiah, Yasir; Connerney, John E. P.; Dong, Chuanfei; Harada, Yuki; Ruhunusiri, Suranga; Halekas, Jasper; Hara, Takuya; Ma, Yingjuan; Brain, David; Jakosky, Bruce

2017-10-01

The Martian magnetosphere forms as the solar wind directly interacts with the planet’s upper atmosphere. During this interaction, the Sun’s interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) drapes around the planet and local crustal magnetic fields, creating a magnetosphere configuration that has attributes of both an induced magnetosphere like that of Venus, and a complex, small-scale magnetosphere like the Moon. In addition to the closed crustal fields and draped IMF at Mars, open magnetic fields are created when magnetic reconnection occurs between the planetary fields and the IMF. These various field topologies present a complex magnetotail structure that we are now able to explore using a combination of MAVEN observations and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Preliminary MHD results have suggested that the Martian magnetotail includes a dual-lobe component, composed of open crustal fields, enveloped by an induced comet-like tail. These simulated open-field lobes are twisted by roughly 45°, either clockwise or counterclockwise, from the ecliptic plane. This rotation depends on the east-west component of the IMF. We utilize MAVEN Magnetometer and Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) measurements collected over two Earth years to analyze the tail magnetic field configuration as a function of IMF direction. Cross-tail views of the average measured magnetic field components directed toward and away from the planet are compared for a variety of solar wind parameters. We find that, in agreement with simulation results, the east-west IMF component strongly affects the magnetotail structure, twisting its sunward-antisunward polarity patterns in response to changing IMF orientation. Through a data-model comparison we are able to infer that regions of open magnetic fields in the tail are likely reconnected crustal fields. Futhermore, these open fields in the tail may contribute to atmospheric escape to space. From this investigation we are able to confirm that the Martian

Magnetic Field Noise Changes Effect of Combined Magnetic Field on Gravitropic Reaction of Cress Roots.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogatina, Nina; Kordyum, Elizabeth; Sheykina, Nadezhda

The gravitropic reaction of cress roots in combined magnetic field was studied in details. It was shown that the negative roots gravitropism observed at the frequency of alternating component of combined magnetic field adjusted to the Ca ion cyclotron frequency could be observed only at Nayquist magnetic field noise level under 5 nT/Hz. While the magnetic noise level was increasing the negative gravitropism was disappearing. The inhibition of gravitropic reaction was observed in all cases. The effect was accompanied by the changes in the noise spectrum generated by cress roots.

OBSERVATIONS AND MAGNETIC FIELD MODELING OF A SOLAR POLAR CROWN PROMINENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su Yingna; Van Ballegooijen, Adriaan, E-mail: ynsu@head.cfa.harvard.edu

2012-10-01

We present observations and magnetic field modeling of the large polar crown prominence that erupted on 2010 December 6. Combination of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and STEREO{sub B}ehind/EUVI allows us to see the fine structures of this prominence both at the limb and on the disk. We focus on the structures and dynamics of this prominence before the eruption. This prominence contains two parts: an active region part containing mainly horizontal threads and a quiet-Sun part containing mainly vertical threads. On the northern side of the prominence channel, both AIA and EUVI observe bright features which appearmore » to be the lower legs of loops that go above then join in the filament. Filament materials are observed to frequently eject horizontally from the active region part to the quiet-Sun part. This ejection results in the formation of a dense-column structure (concentration of dark vertical threads) near the border between the active region and the quiet Sun. Using the flux rope insertion method, we create nonlinear force-free field models based on SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager line-of-sight magnetograms. A key feature of these models is that the flux rope has connections with the surroundings photosphere, so its axial flux varies along the filament path. The height and location of the dips of field lines in our models roughly replicate those of the observed prominence. Comparison between model and observations suggests that the bright features on the northern side of the channel are the lower legs of the field lines that turn into the flux rope. We suggest that plasma may be injected into the prominence along these field lines. Although the models fit the observations quiet well, there are also some interesting differences. For example, the models do not reproduce the observed vertical threads and cannot explain the formation of the dense-column structure.« less

Observation of Landau levels in potassium-intercalated graphite under a zero magnetic field

PubMed Central

Guo, Donghui; Kondo, Takahiro; Machida, Takahiro; Iwatake, Keigo; Okada, Susumu; Nakamura, Junji

2012-01-01

The charge carriers in graphene are massless Dirac fermions and exhibit a relativistic Landau-level quantization in a magnetic field. Recently, it has been reported that, without any external magnetic field, quantized energy levels have been also observed from strained graphene nanobubbles on a platinum surface, which were attributed to the Landau levels of massless Dirac fermions in graphene formed by a strain-induced pseudomagnetic field. Here we show the generation of the Landau levels of massless Dirac fermions on a partially potassium-intercalated graphite surface without applying external magnetic field. Landau levels of massless Dirac fermions indicate the graphene character in partially potassium-intercalated graphite. The generation of the Landau levels is ascribed to a vector potential induced by the perturbation of nearest-neighbour hopping, which may originate from a strain or a gradient of on-site potentials at the perimeters of potassium-free domains. PMID:22990864

Voyager Observations of Magnetic Fields and Cosmic Rays in the Heliosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.; Stone, E.; McDonald, F. B.

2011-01-01

The major features of the profile of >70 MeV/nuc cosmic ray intensity (CRI) observed by Voyager 1 (V1) in the heliosheath from 2005.8 - 2010.24 are described by the empirical "CR-B" relation as the cumulative effect of variations of the magnetic field strength B. The CRI profile observed by Voyager 2 (V2) from 2008.60 to 2010.28 in the heliosheath is also described by the CR-B relation. On a smaller scale, of the order of a hundred days, a sequence of 3 CRI decreases observed by V1 during 2006 was interpreted as the effect of a propagating interplanetary shock first interacting with the termination shock, then moving past V1, and finally reflecting from the heliopause and propagating back to V1. Our observations show that the second CRI decrease in this sequence began during the passage of a "Global Merged Interaction Region" (GMIR), approx. 40 days after the arrival of the GMIR and its possible shock. The first and third CRI decreases in the sequence were associated with local enhancements of B. The magnetic field observations associated with the second sequence of 3 cosmic ray intensity decreases observed by V1 in 2007/2008 are more difficult to reconcile with the scenario of Webber et al. and the CR-B relation. The discrepancy might indicate the importance of latitudinal effects.

Voyager Observations of Magnetic Fields and Cosmic Rays in the Heliosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.; Stone, E.; McDonald, F. B.

2011-01-01

The major features of the profile of greater than 70 MeV/nuc cosmic ray intensity (CRI) observed by Voyager 1 (VI) in the heliosheath from 2005.8-2010.24 are described by the empirical "CR-B" relation as the cumulative effect of variations of the magnetic field strength B. The CRI profile observed by Voyager 2 (V2) from 2008.60 to 2010.28 in the heliosheath is also described by the CR-B relation. On a smaller scale, of the order of a hundred days, a sequence on CRI decreases observed by V 1 during 2006 was interpreted as the effect of a propagating interplanetary shock first interacting with the termination shock, then moving past V1, and finally reflecting from the heliopause and propagating back to V1. Our observations show that the second CRI decrease in this sequence began during the passage of a "Global Merged Interaction Region" (GMIR), 40 days after the arrival of the GMIR and its possible shock. The first and third CRI decreases in the sequence were associated with local enhancements of B. The magnetic field observations associated with the second sequence of 3 cosmic ray intensity decreases observed by V 1 in 2007/2008 are more difficult to reconcile with the scenario of Webber et al. (2009) and the CR-B relation. The discrepancy might indicate the importance of latitudinal effects

Magnetopause Erosion During the 17 March 2015 Magnetic Storm: Combined Field-Aligned Currents, Auroral Oval, and Magnetopause Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, G.; Luehr, H.; Anderson, B. J.; Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Singer, H.; Slavin, J. A.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, T.; Bromund, K.;

The substorm current reconfiguration scenario and related observations in the magnetic field and thermosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Patricia; Luehr, Hermann

The input of energy and momentum from the magnetosphere is most efficiently coupled into the high latitude ionosphere-thermosphere during magnetospheric substorms. This paper presents substorm related observations of the magnetic field on ground and by the CHAMP satellite, their implications for the substorm current reconfiguration scenario, and thermospheric air density signatures after substorm onsets. Based on a large number of events, the average high and low latitude magnetic field signatures after substorm onsets reveal that the magnetic field observations cannot be described adequately by a simple current wedge model. A satisfactory agreement between model results and observations at satellite altitude and on ground can be achieved only if the current reconfiguration scenario combines the following four elements: (1) a gradual decrease of the tail lobe field; (2) a re-routing of a part of the cross-tail current through the ionosphere; (3) eastward ionospheric currents at low and mid latitudes driven by Region-2 field-aligned currents (FACs); and (4) a partial ring current connected to these Region-2 FACs. With the onset of energy input into the ionosphere we observe that the thermospheric density is enhanced first at high latitudes on the night side. The disturbance then travels at an average speed of 650 m/s to lower latitudes, and reaches the equator after 3-4 hours. Under the influence of the Coriolis force the traveling atmospheric disturbance (TAD) is deflected westward.

A comparison of coronal X-ray structures of active regions with magnetic fields computed from photospheric observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poletto, G.; Vaiana, G. S.; Zombeck, M. V.; Krieger, A. S.; Timothy, A. F.

1975-01-01

The appearances of several X-ray active regions observed on March 7, 1970 and June 15, 1973 are compared with the corresponding coronal magnetic-field topology. Coronal fields have been computed from measurements of the longitudinal component of the underlying magnetic fields, based on the current-free hypothesis. An overall correspondence between X-ray structures and calculated field lines is established, and the magnetic counterparts of different X-ray features are also examined. A correspondence between enhanced X-ray emission and the location of compact closed field lines is suggested. Representative magnetic-field values calculated under the assumption of current-free fields are given for heights up to 200 sec.

Comparison of H-alpha synoptic charts with the large-scale solar magnetic field as observed at Stanford

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duvall, T. L., Jr.; Wilcox, J. M.; Svalgaard, L.; Scherrer, P. H.; Mcintosh, P. S.

1977-01-01

Two methods of observing the neutral line of the large-scale photospheric magnetic field are compared: neutral line positions inferred from H-alpha photographs (McIntosh and Nolte, 1975) and observations of the photospheric magnetic field made with low spatial resolution (three minutes) and high sensitivity using the Stanford magnetograph. The comparison is found to be very favorable.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of the Electron Diffusion Region of Large Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eriksson, S.; Wilder, F. D.; Ergun, R. E.; Schwartz, S. J.; Cassak, P. A.; Burch, J. L.; Chen, Li-Jen; Torbert, R. B.; Phan, T. D.; Lavraud, B.;

Observations of reconnection of interplanetary and lobe magnetic field lines at the high-latitude magnetopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gosling, J. T.; Thomsen, M. F.; Bame, S. J.; Elphic, R. C.; Russell, C. T.

1991-01-01

Results are presented of ISEE 2 observations of plasma accelerations obtained at the high-latitude (lobe) magnetopause at a time when the local magnetosheath and magnetospheric magnetic fields were nearly oppositely directed and the flow speed in the magnetosheath, V(s), was nearly equal to the local Alfven speed, V(A). The observations provide direct evidence for the rereconnection of the open field lines of the tail lobes with the IMF, when the magnetic field shear is large. It is pointed out, however, that, since V(s) was almost equal to V(A), it is unlikely that the rereconnection is associated with the strong sunward convection in the polar cap.

Observations of photospheric magnetic fields and shear flows in flaring active regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarbell, T.; Ferguson, S.; Frank, Z.; Title, A.; Topka, K.

1988-11-01

Horizontal flows in the photosphere and subsurface convection zone move the footpoints of coronal magnetic field lines. Magnetic energy to power flares can be stored in the corona if the flows drive the fields far from the potential configuration. Videodisk movies were shown with 0.5 to 1 arcsecond resolution of the following simultaneous observations: green continuum, longitudinal magnetogram, Fe I 5576 A line center (mid-photosphere), H alpha wings, and H alpha line center. The movies show a 90 x 90 arcsecond field of view of an active region at S29, W11. When viewed at speeds of a few thousand times real-time, the photospheric movies clearly show the active region fields being distorted by a remarkable combination of systematic flows and small eruptions of new flux. Magnetic bipoles are emerging over a large area, and the polarities are systematically flowing apart. The horizontal flows were mapped in detail from the continuum movies, and these may be used to predict the future evolution of the region. The horizontal flows are not discernable in H alpha. The H alpha movies strongly suggest reconnection processes in the fibrils joining opposite polarities. When viewed in combination with the magnetic movies, the cause for this evolution is apparent: opposite polarity fields collide and partially cancel, and the fibrils reconnect above the surface. This type of reconnection, driven by subphotospheric flows, complicates the chromospheric and coronal fields, causing visible braiding and twisting of the fibrils. Some of the transient emission events in the fibrils and adjacent plage may also be related.

DIRECT OBSERVATION OF SOLAR CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELDS BY VECTOR TOMOGRAPHY OF THE CORONAL EMISSION LINE POLARIZATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kramar, M.; Lin, H.; Tomczyk, S., E-mail: kramar@cua.edu, E-mail: lin@ifa.hawaii.edu, E-mail: tomczyk@ucar.edu

We present the first direct “observation” of the global-scale, 3D coronal magnetic fields of Carrington Rotation (CR) Cycle 2112 using vector tomographic inversion techniques. The vector tomographic inversion uses measurements of the Fe xiii 10747 Å Hanle effect polarization signals by the Coronal Multichannel Polarimeter (CoMP) and 3D coronal density and temperature derived from scalar tomographic inversion of Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) coronal emission lines (CELs) intensity images as inputs to derive a coronal magnetic field model that best reproduces the observed polarization signals. While independent verifications of the vector tomography results cannot be performed, wemore » compared the tomography inverted coronal magnetic fields with those constructed by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations based on observed photospheric magnetic fields of CR 2112 and 2113. We found that the MHD model for CR 2112 is qualitatively consistent with the tomography inverted result for most of the reconstruction domain except for several regions. Particularly, for one of the most noticeable regions, we found that the MHD simulation for CR 2113 predicted a model that more closely resembles the vector tomography inverted magnetic fields. In another case, our tomographic reconstruction predicted an open magnetic field at a region where a coronal hole can be seen directly from a STEREO-B/EUVI image. We discuss the utilities and limitations of the tomographic inversion technique, and present ideas for future developments.« less

Understanding the Interiors of Saturn and Mercury through Magnetic Field Observation and Dynamo Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hao

Understanding the interior structure and dynamics of a planet is a key step towards understanding the formation and evolution of a planet. In this thesis, I combine field observation and dynamo modeling to understand planetary interiors. Focus has been put on planets Saturn and Mercury. The Cassini spacecraft has been taking continuous measurements in the Saturnian system since the Saturn orbital insertion in June 2004. Since the Mercury orbital insertion in March 2011, the MESSENGER spacecraft has been examining planet Mercury. After analyzing the close-in portion of the in-situ Cassini magnetometer measurements around Saturn, I find that Saturn's magnetic field features several surprising characteristics. First, Saturn's magnetic field is extremely axisymmetric. We cannot find any consistent departure from axisymmetry, and have put an extremely tight upper bound on the dipole tilt of Saturn: the dipole tilt of Saturn has to be smaller than 0.06 degrees. Second, we find that Saturn's magnetic field is extremely stable with time. Third, we estimated the magnetic moments of Saturn up to degree 5. This is the first magnetic field model for Saturn which goes beyond degree 3. We find that not only Saturn's intrinsic magnetic field is dominated by the axial moments; among these axial moments the odd degree ones dominate. In addition, the first three odd degree axial moments all take the same sign. This sign pattern of Saturn's magnetic moments is in contrast to that of the Earth's magnetic moments which takes alternative signs for the past century. The contrast between the geometries of Saturn's magnetic field and the Earth's magnetic field lead us to propose a dynamo hypothesis which speculates that such differences are caused by structural and dynamical differences inside these two planets. Our dynamo hypothesis for Saturn has two essential ingredients. The first concerns about the existence and size of a central core inside Saturn and its influence on Saturn's dynamo

Observed nonpotential magnetic fields and the inferred flow of electric currents at a location of repeated flaring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, M. J.

1988-01-01

The vector magnetic field of an active region at a location of repeated flaring is studied in order to explore the nature of the currents flowing in the areas where the flares initiated. The observed transverse component of the magnetic field is used to obtain the component of electric current density crossing the photosphere along the line-of-sight. It is found that currents flow out of an area of positive magnetic polarity and across the magnetic inversion line into two areas of negative polarity. Characteristics of the calculated source field are discussed.

Preflare magnetic and velocity fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, M. J.; Gaizauskas, V.; Chapman, G. A.; Deloach, A. C.; Gary, G. A.; Jones, H. P.; Karpen, J. T.; Martres, M.-J.; Porter, J. G.; Schmeider, B.

1986-01-01

A characterization is given of the preflare magnetic field, using theoretical models of force free fields together with observed field structure to determine the general morphology. Direct observational evidence for sheared magnetic fields is presented. The role of this magnetic shear in the flare process is considered within the context of a MHD model that describes the buildup of magnetic energy, and the concept of a critical value of shear is explored. The related subject of electric currents in the preflare state is discussed next, with emphasis on new insights provided by direct calculations of the vertical electric current density from vector magnetograph data and on the role of these currents in producing preflare brightenings. Results from investigations concerning velocity fields in flaring active regions, describing observations and analyses of preflare ejecta, sheared velocities, and vortical motions near flaring sites are given. This is followed by a critical review of prevalent concepts concerning the association of flux emergence with flares

Giotto magnetic field observations at the outbound quasi-parallel bow shock of Comet Halley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neubauer, F. M.; Glassmeier, K. H.; Acuna, M. H.; Mariani, F.; Musmann, G.

1990-01-01

The investigation of the outbound bow shock of Comet Halley using Giotto magnetometer data leads to the following results: the shock is characterized by strong magnetic turbulence associated with an increasing background magnetic field and a change in direction by 60 deg as one goes inward. In HSE-coordinates, the observed normal turned out to be (0.544, - 0.801, 0.249). The thickness of the quasi-parallel shock was 120,000 km. The shock is shown to be a new type of shock transition called a 'draping shock'. In a draping shock with high beta in the transonic transition region, the transonic region is characterized by strong directional variations of the magnetic field. The magnetic turbulence ahead of the shock is characterized by k-vectors parallel or antiparallel to the average field (and, therefore, also to the normal of the quasi-parallel shock) and almost isotropic magnetic turbulence in the shock transition region. A model of the draping shock is proposed which also includes a hypothetical subshock in which the supersonic-subsonic transition is accomplished.

Probing Magnetic Fields of Early Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-06-01

How do magnetic fields form and evolve in early galaxies? A new study has provided some clever observations to help us answer this question.The Puzzle of Growing FieldsDynamo theory is the primary model describing how magnetic fields develop in galaxies. In this picture, magnetic fields start out as weak seed fields that are small and unordered. These fields then become ordered and amplified by large-scale rotation and turbulence in galaxy disks and halos, eventually leading to the magnetic fields we observe in galaxies today.Schematic showinghow to indirectly measure protogalactic magnetic fields. The measured polarization of a background quasar is altered by the fields in a foreground protogalaxy. Click for a closer look! [Farnes et al. 2017/Adolf Schaller/STSCI/NRAO/AUI/NSF]To test this model, we need observations of the magnetic fields in young protogalaxies. Unfortunately, we dont have the sensitivity to be able to measure these fields directly but a team of scientists led by Jamie Farnes (Radboud University in the Netherlands) have come up with a creative alternative.The key is to find early protogalaxies that absorb the light of more distant background objects. If a protogalaxy lies between us and a distant quasar, then magnetic fields of the protogalaxy if present will affect the polarization measurements of the background quasar.Observing Galactic Building BlocksTop: Redshift distribution for the background quasars in the authors sample. Bottom: Redshift distribution for the foreground protogalaxies the authors are exploring. [Farnes et al. 2017]Farnes and collaborators examined two types of foreground protogalaxies: Damped Lyman-Alpha Absorbers (DLAs) and Lyman Limit Systems (LLSs). They obtained polarimetric data for a sample of 114 distant quasars with nothing in the foreground (the control sample), 19 quasars with DLAs in the foreground, and 27 quasars with LLSs in the foreground. They then used statistical analysis techniques to draw conclusions about

Coaligned observations of solar magnetic fields at different heights: MSFC Center director's discretionary fund final report (Project No. 88-10)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, M. J.; West, E. A.; Gary, G. A.; Smith, J. E.

1990-01-01

The objective was to develop the capability for and coaligned observations of the structure and evolution of the Sun's magnetic field at two different heights in the solar atmosphere: the photosphere, which is the lowest region observable with optical telescopes; and the chromosphere, which lies just above the photosphere and is the region where the magnetic field dominates the gas motion so that a well-ordered structure governed by the field is observed. By obtaining this three-dimensional picture of the solar magnetic field, a better understanding can be developed of the magnetic forces that produce and control the dynamic, high-energy phenomena occurring in the solar atmosphere that can affect the entire heliosphere, including the terrestrial environment.

Comparison of Magnetospheric Magnetic Field Variations at Quasi-Zenith Orbit Based on Michibiki Observation and REPPU Global MHD Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, Y.; Nagatsuma, T.; Den, M.; Nakamizo, A.; Matsumoto, H.; Tanaka, T.

2017-12-01

We are developing a numerical simulator for future space weather forecast using magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling global MHD simulation called REPPU (REProduce Plasma Universe) code. We investigate the validity of the MHD simulation result as compared with observation. In this study we simulate some events including both quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions using OMNIWeb solar wind data. The simulation results are compared with magnetic field observations from Michibiki satellite, which is on the quasi-zenith orbit (QZO). In quiet geomagnetic condition, magnetic field variations at QZO obtained from simulation results have good consistency as compared correspondence with those from Michibiki observation. In disturbed geomagnetic condition in which the Dst < -20 nT, however, V component of magnetic field variations from simulation results tend to deviate from observations especially at the night side. We consider that this deviation during disturbed geomagnetic condition might be due to tail and/or ring current enhancement which is already suggested by many other MHD simulation studies as compared with the magnetic field observation at geosynchronous orbit. In this presentation, we will discuss the cause of this discrepancy in more detail with studying the relationship between the magnetic field deviation and some parameters such as Dst and solar wind.

Analysis and Modeling of Coronal Holes Observed by CORONAS-1. 1; Morphology and Magnetic Field Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obridko, Vladmir; Formichev, Valery; Kharschiladze, A. F.; Zhitnik, Igor; Slemzin, Vladmir; Hathaway, David H.; Wu, Shi T.

1998-01-01

Two low-latitude coronal holes observed by CORONAS-1 in April and June 1994 are analyzed together with magnetic field measurements obtained from Wilcox and Kitt Peak Solar Observatories. To estimate the comparable temperature of these two coronal holes, the YOHKOH observations are also utilized. Using this information, we have constructed three-dimensional magnetic field lines to illustrate the geometrical configuration of these coronal holes. The calculated synoptic maps are used to determine the existence of closed and open field regions of the hole. Finally, we have correlated the characteristics of two coronal holes with observed solar wind speed. We found that the brighter coronal hole has high speed solar wind, and the dimmer coronal hole has low speed solar wind.

Magnetic monopole plasma oscillations and the survival of Galactic magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parker, E.N.

This paper explores the general nature of magnetic-monopole plasma oscillations as a theoretical possibility for the observed Galactic magnetic field in the presence of a high abundance of magnetic monopoles. The modification of the hydromagnetic induction equation by the monopole oscillations produces the half-velocity effect, in which the magnetic field is transported bodily with a velocity midway between the motion of the conducting fluid and the monopole plasma. Observational studies of the magnetic field in the Galaxy, and in other galaxies, exclude the half-velocity effect, indicating that the magnetic fields is not associated with monopole oscillations. In any case themore » phase mixing would destroy the oscillations in less than 100 Myr. The conclusion is that magnetic monopole oscillations do not play a significant role in the galactic magnetic fields. Hence the existence of galactic magnetic fields places a low limit on the monopole flux, so that their detection - if they exist at all - requires a collecting area at least as large as a football field. 47 references.« less

Magnetic Helicity Estimations in Models and Observations of the Solar Magnetic Field. III. Twist Number Method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Y.; Pariat, E.; Moraitis, K.

We study the writhe, twist, and magnetic helicity of different magnetic flux ropes, based on models of the solar coronal magnetic field structure. These include an analytical force-free Titov–Démoulin equilibrium solution, non-force-free magnetohydrodynamic simulations, and nonlinear force-free magnetic field models. The geometrical boundary of the magnetic flux rope is determined by the quasi-separatrix layer and the bottom surface, and the axis curve of the flux rope is determined by its overall orientation. The twist is computed by the Berger–Prior formula, which is suitable for arbitrary geometry and both force-free and non-force-free models. The magnetic helicity is estimated by the twistmore » multiplied by the square of the axial magnetic flux. We compare the obtained values with those derived by a finite volume helicity estimation method. We find that the magnetic helicity obtained with the twist method agrees with the helicity carried by the purely current-carrying part of the field within uncertainties for most test cases. It is also found that the current-carrying part of the model field is relatively significant at the very location of the magnetic flux rope. This qualitatively explains the agreement between the magnetic helicity computed by the twist method and the helicity contributed purely by the current-carrying magnetic field.« less

The observation of resistivity change on the ultrasonic treated Fe-Cr ODS sinter alloy under magnetic field influence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silalahi, Marzuki; Purwanto, Setyo; Mujamilah; Dimyati, Arbi

2018-03-01

About the observation of resistivity change on the ultrasonic treated Fe-Cr ODS sinter alloy under magnetic field influence. This paper reported about the observation of the resistivity change in the ultrasonic pre-treated Fe-Cr ODS sinter alloy under the influence of magnetic field at the Center for Science and Technology of Advanced Material, Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia. Fe-Cr ODS alloy were sinthesized by vacuum sintering of Fe- and Cr-powder dispersed Y2O3. However, before sintering the powder mixture was subjected to the irradiation process by ultrasonic for 50 hours at 20 kHz and then isostatic pressed up to 50.91 MPa to form a coin of 10 mm in diameter. LCR meassurement revealed the decreasing of resistivity about 3 times by increasing of applied magnetic field from 0 to 70 mT. In addition, VSM meassurement was performed on both as powder material and as sintered sample. The results showed increasing the magnetization with increasing magnetic field and the curve exhibits almost exact symmetry S-form with small hysterese indicating fast changing magnetization and demagnetization capability without energy loss. This opens strong speculations about the existence of magnetoresistant property of the material which is important for many application in field of sensors or electro magnetic valves.

Planetary Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Ulrich R.

2017-06-01

The Earth's magnetic field has been known for centuries. Since the mid-20th century space missions carrying vector magnetometers showed that most, but not all, solar system planets have a global magnetic field of internal origin. They also revealed a surprising diversity in terms of field strength and morphology. While Jupiter's field, like that of Earth, is dominated by a dipole moderately tilted relative to the planet's spin axis, with multipole components being subordinate but not negligible, the fields of Uranus and Neptune are multipole-dominated, whereas those of Saturn und Mercury are highly symmetric relative to the rotation axis. Planetary magnetism originates from a dynamo process, which requires a fluid and electrically conducting region in the interior with sufficiently rapid and complex flow. The magnetic fields are of interest for three reasons: (1) They provide ground truth for dynamo theory, which is a fundamental and not completely solved physical problem; (2) the magnetic field controls how the planet interacts with its space environment, for example, the solar wind; and (3) the existence (or nonexistence) and the properties of the field allow us to draw inferences on the constitution, dynamics, and thermal evolution of the planet's interior. For example, the lack of global magnetic fields at Mars and Venus can be explained if their iron cores, although liquid, are stably stratified. Numerical simulations of the geodynamo—in which convective flow in a rapidly rotating spherical shell representing the outer liquid iron core of the Earth leads to induction of electric currents and the associated magnetic field—have successfully reproduced many observed properties of the geomagnetic field. They have also provided guidelines on the factors controlling magnetic field strength and, tentatively, their morphology. For numerical reasons the simulations must employ viscosities far greater than those inside planets, and it is debatable whether they truly

MAVEN Observations of the Effects of Crustal Magnetic Fields on the Mars Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, M. F.; Flynn, C. L.; Withers, P.; Andersson, L.; Girazian, Z.; Mitchell, D. L.; Xu, S.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Espley, J. R.

2017-12-01

Mars lacks a global intrinsic magnetic field but possesses regions of strong crustal magnetic field that influence the planetary interaction with the solar wind and affect the structure and dynamics of the ionosphere. Since entering Mars orbit in 2014, the MAVEN spacecraft has collected comprehensive measurements of the local plasma and magnetic field properties in the Martian dayside ionosphere. Here we discuss how crustal magnetic fields affect the structure, composition, and electrodynamics of the Martian ionosphere as seen by MAVEN. We present a survey of 17 months of MAVEN LPW measurements of the electron density and temperature in the dayside ionosphere and show that, above 200 km altitude, regions of strong crustal magnetic fields feature cooler electron temperatures and enhanced electron densities compared to regions with little or no crustal magnetic field. We also report on the influence of the magnetic field direction and topology on MAVEN electron density measurements in the southern crustal field areas, particularly in magnetic cusp regions. Finally, we discuss the effects of crustal magnetic fields on plasma boundaries like the ionopause, located at the top of the ionosphere and marked by a sharp and substantial gradient in the electron density.

Magnetic fields in spiral galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, Marita

2015-03-01

The magnetic field structure in edge-on galaxies observed so far shows a plane-parallel magnetic field component in the disk of the galaxy and an X-shaped field in its halo. The plane-parallel field is thought to be the projected axisymmetric (ASS) disk field as observed in face-on galaxies. Some galaxies addionionally exhibit strong vertical magnetic fields in the halo right above and below the central region of the disk. The mean-field dynamo theory in the disk cannot explain these observed fields without the action of a wind, which also probably plays an important role to keep the vertical scale heights constant in galaxies of different Hubble types and star formation activities, as has been observed in the radio continuum: At λ6 cm the vertical scale heights of the thin disk and the thick disk/halo in a sample of five edge-on galaxies are similar with a mean value of 300 +/- 50 pc for the thin disk and 1.8 +/- 0.2 kpc for the thick disk (a table and references are given in Krause 2011) with our sample including the brightest halo observed so far, NGC 253, with strong star formation, as well as one of the weakest halos, NGC 4565, with weak star formation. If synchrotron emission is the dominant loss process of the relativistic electrons the outer shape of the radio emission should be dumbbell-like as has been observed in several edge-on galaxies like e.g. NGC 253 (Heesen et al. 2009) and NGC 4565. As the synchrotron lifetime t syn at a single frequency is proportional to the total magnetic field strength B t -1.5, a cosmic ray bulk speed (velocity of a galactic wind) can be defined as v CR = h CR /t syn = 2 h z /t syn , where h CR and h z are the scale heights of the cosmic rays and the observed radio emission at this freqnency. Similar observed radio scale heights imply a self regulation mechanism between the galactic wind velocity, the total magnetic field strength and the star formation rate SFR in the disk: v CR ~ B t 1.5 ~ SFR ~ 0.5 (Niklas & Beck 1997).

Magnetic Field and Plasma Diagnostics from Coordinated Prominence Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmieder, B.; Levens, P.; Dalmasse, K.; Mein, N.; Mein, P.; Lopez-Ariste, A.; Labrosse, N.; Heinzel, P.

2016-04-01

We study the magnetic field in prominences from a statistical point of view, by using THEMIS in the MTR mode, performing spectropolarimetry of the He I D3 line. Combining these measurements with spectroscopic data from IRIS, Hinode/EIS as well as ground-based telescopes, such as the Meudon Solar Tower, we infer the temperature, density, and flow velocities of the plasma. There are a number of open questions that we aim to answer: - What is the general direction of the magnetic field in prominences? Is the model using a single orientation of magnetic field always valid for atypical prominences? %- Does this depend on the location of the filament on the disk (visible in Hα, in He II 304 Å) over an inversion line between weak or strong network ? - Are prominences in a weak environment field dominated by gas pressure? - Measuring the Doppler shifts in Mg II lines (with IRIS) and in Hα can tell us if there are substantial velocities to maintain vertical rotating structures, as has been suggested for tornado-like prominences. We present here some results obtained with different ground-based and space-based instruments in this framework.

Investigations on magnetic field induced optical transparency in magnetic nanofluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, Dillip Kumar; Philip, John

2018-02-01

We study the magnetic field induced optical transparency and its origin in magnetic nanoemulsion of droplets of average size ∼200 nm containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Beyond a certain volume fraction (Φ > 0.0021) of magnetic nanoemulsion and a critical magnetic field (Hc1), the transmitted light intensity increases drastically and reaches a maximum at another critical magnetic field (Hc2), beyond which the transmitted light intensity decreases and reaches a plateau. Interestingly, the transmitted light intensity at Hc2 is found to increase linearly with Φ and the critical magnetic fields Hc1 and Hc2 follow power law decay with Φ (i.e. Hc ∼ Φ-x), with exponents 0.48 and 0.27, respectively. The light intensity recovers to its initial value when the magnetic field is switched off, indicating the perfect reversibility of the field induced transparency process. The observed straight line scattered patterns above Hc2, on a screen placed perpendicular to the incident beam, confirms the formation of rod like anisotropic nanostructures perpendicular to the direction of light propagation. The magneto-optical measurements in the emulsion confirm that the observed field induced transparency in magnetic emulsions for Φ > 0.0021 is due to the optical birefringence caused by the rod like nanostructures. The reduced birefringence is found to be proportional to the square of the applied magnetic field. This finding offers several possibilities in using magnetic nanofluids in tunable optical devices.

Measurement of magnetic field fluctuations and diamagnetic currents within a laser ablation plasma interacting with an axial magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ikeda, S.; Horioka, K.; Okamura, M.

Here, the guiding of laser ablation plasmas with axial magnetic fields has been used for many applications, since its effectiveness has been proven empirically. For more sophisticated and complicated manipulations of the plasma flow, the behavior of the magnetic field during the interaction and the induced diamagnetic current in the plasma plume needs to be clearly understood. To achieve the first milestone for establishing magnetic plasma manipulation, we measured the spatial and temporal fluctuations of the magnetic field caused by the diamagnetic current. We showed that the small fluctuations of the magnetic field can be detected by using a simplemore » magnetic probe. We observed that the field penetrates to the core of the plasma plume. The diamagnetic current estimated from the magnetic field had temporal and spatial distributions which were confirmed to be correlated with the transformation of the plasma plume. Our results show that the measurement by the magnetic probe is an effective method to observe the temporal and spatial distributions of the magnetic field and diamagnetic current. The systematic measurement of the magnetic field variations is a valuable method to establish the magnetic field manipulation of the laser ablation plasma.« less

Measurement of magnetic field fluctuations and diamagnetic currents within a laser ablation plasma interacting with an axial magnetic field

DOE PAGES

Ikeda, S.; Horioka, K.; Okamura, M.

2017-10-10

Here, the guiding of laser ablation plasmas with axial magnetic fields has been used for many applications, since its effectiveness has been proven empirically. For more sophisticated and complicated manipulations of the plasma flow, the behavior of the magnetic field during the interaction and the induced diamagnetic current in the plasma plume needs to be clearly understood. To achieve the first milestone for establishing magnetic plasma manipulation, we measured the spatial and temporal fluctuations of the magnetic field caused by the diamagnetic current. We showed that the small fluctuations of the magnetic field can be detected by using a simplemore » magnetic probe. We observed that the field penetrates to the core of the plasma plume. The diamagnetic current estimated from the magnetic field had temporal and spatial distributions which were confirmed to be correlated with the transformation of the plasma plume. Our results show that the measurement by the magnetic probe is an effective method to observe the temporal and spatial distributions of the magnetic field and diamagnetic current. The systematic measurement of the magnetic field variations is a valuable method to establish the magnetic field manipulation of the laser ablation plasma.« less

The Z3 model of Saturns magnetic field and the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connerney, J. E. P.; Acuna, M. H.; Ness, N. F.

1984-01-01

Magnetic field observations obtained by the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer are compared with the Z(sub 3) model magnetic field. These Pioneer 11 observations, obtained at close-in radial distances, constitute an important and independent test of the Z(sub 3) zonal harmonic model, which was derived from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 fluxgate magnetometer observations. Differences between the Pioneer 11 magnetometer and the Z(sub 3) model field are found to be small (approximately 1%) and quantitatively consistent with the expected instrumental accuracy. A detailed examination of these differences in spacecraft payload coordinates shows that they are uniquely associated with the instrument frame of reference and operation. A much improved fit to the Pioneer 11 observations is obtained by rotation of the instrument coordinate system about the spacecraft spin axis by 1.4 degree. With this adjustment, possibly associated with an instrumental phase lag or roll attitude error, the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations are fully consistent with the Voyager Z(sub 3) model.

Observability of atomic line features in strong magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wunner, G.; Ruder, H.; Herold, H.; Truemper, J.

1981-01-01

The physical properties of atoms in superstrong magnetic fields, characteristic of neutron stars, and the possibility of detecting magnetically strongly shifted atomic lines in the spectra of magnetized X-ray pulsars are discussed. It is suggested that it is recommendable to look for magnetically strongly shifted Fe 26 Lyman lines in rotating neutron stars of not too high luminosity using spectrometers working in the energy range 10 - 20 keV, with sensitivities to minus 4 power photons per sq cm and second, and resolution E/delta E approx. 10-100.

Do habitable worlds require magnetic fields?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brain, D. A.; Egan, H. L.; Ma, Y. J.; Jarvinen, R.; Jakosky, B. M.; Moore, T. E.; Garcia-Sage, K.

2017-12-01

Of the three terrestrial worlds that have significant atmospheres (Venus, Earth, and Mars), only Earth also possesses a global dynamo magnetic field. This magnetic field is often thought to have shielded the planet from the impinging solar wind, preventing the atmosphere from being stripped away to space. The atmospheres of Mars and Venus, by contrast, are thought to have escaped to space or been dessicated (respectively) due at least in part to their planet's lack of global magnetic field. The assumption that global scale magnetic fields are a necessary requirement for surface habitability is widely used both in the planetary and exoplanetary communities, but this assumption has been called into question in recent years based both on theoretical arguments and on observations returned by spacecraft. Here we summarize the arguments "for" and "against" the importance of magnetic fields for planetary habitability, and review the observations that teach us about the role of magnetic fields. We then identify several ongoing efforts and likely fruitful avenues for determining whether a dynamo field is necessary for life to be possible at a planet's surface.

The robustness of using near-UV observations to detect and study exoplanet magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, J.; Christie, D.; Arras, P.; Johnson, R.

2015-10-01

Studying the magnetic fields of exoplanets will allow for the investigation of their formation history, evolution, interior structure, rotation period, atmospheric dynamics, moons, and potential habitability. We previously observed the transits of 16 exoplanets as they crossed the face of their host-star in the near-UV in an attempt to detect their magnetic fields (Turner et al. 2013; Pearson et al. 2014; Turner et al. in press). It was postulated that the magnetic fields of all our targets could be constrained if their near-UV light curves start earlier than in their optical light curves (Vidotto et al. 2011). This effect can be explained by the presence of a bow shock in front of the planet formed by interactions between the stellar coronal material and the planet's magnetosphere. Furthermore, if the shocked material in the magnetosheath is optically thick, it will absorb starlight and cause an early ingress in the near- UV light curve. We do not observe an early ingress in any of our targets (See Figure 1 for an example light curve in our study), but determine upper limits on their magnetic field strengths. All our magnetic field upper limits are well below the predicted magnetic field strengths for hot Jupiters (Reiners & Christensen 2010; Sanchez-Lavega 2004). The upper limits we derived assume that there is an absorbing species in the near-UV. Therefore, our upper limits cannot be trusted if there is no species to cause the absorption. In this study we simulate the atomic physics, chemistry, radiation transport, and dynamics of the plasma characteristics in the vicinity of a hot Jupiter using the widely used radiative transfer code CLOUDY (Ferland et al. 2013). Using CLOUDY we have investigated whether there is an absorption species in the near-UV that can exist to cause an observable early ingress. The number density of hydrogen in the bow shock was varied from 104 - -108 cm-3 and the output spectrum was calculated (Figure 2) and compared to the input

Recent changes of the Earth's core derived from satellite observations of magnetic and gravity fields.

PubMed

Mandea, Mioara; Panet, Isabelle; Lesur, Vincent; de Viron, Olivier; Diament, Michel; Le Mouël, Jean-Louis

2012-11-20

To understand the dynamics of the Earth's fluid, iron-rich outer core, only indirect observations are available. The Earth's magnetic field, originating mainly within the core, and its temporal variations can be used to infer the fluid motion at the top of the core, on a decadal and subdecadal time-scale. Gravity variations resulting from changes in the mass distribution within the Earth may also occur on the same time-scales. Such variations include the signature of the flow inside the core, though they are largely dominated by the water cycle contributions. Our study is based on 8 y of high-resolution, high-accuracy magnetic and gravity satellite data, provided by the CHAMP and GRACE missions. From the newly derived geomagnetic models we have computed the core magnetic field, its temporal variations, and the core flow evolution. From the GRACE CNES/GRGS series of time variable geoid models, we have obtained interannual gravity models by using specifically designed postprocessing techniques. A correlation analysis between the magnetic and gravity series has demonstrated that the interannual changes in the second time derivative of the core magnetic field under a region from the Atlantic to Indian Ocean coincide in phase with changes in the gravity field. The order of magnitude of these changes and proposed correlation are plausible, compatible with a core origin; however, a complete theoretical model remains to be built. Our new results and their broad geophysical significance could be considered when planning new Earth observation space missions and devising more sophisticated Earth's interior models.

MESSENGER observations of magnetic reconnection in Mercury's magnetosphere.

PubMed

Slavin, James A; Acuña, Mario H; Anderson, Brian J; Baker, Daniel N; Benna, Mehdi; Boardsen, Scott A; Gloeckler, George; Gold, Robert E; Ho, George C; Korth, Haje; Krimigis, Stamatios M; McNutt, Ralph L; Raines, Jim M; Sarantos, Menelaos; Schriver, David; Solomon, Sean C; Trávnícek, Pavel; Zurbuchen, Thomas H

2009-05-01

Solar wind energy transfer to planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres is controlled by magnetic reconnection, a process that determines the degree of connectivity between the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and a planet's magnetic field. During MESSENGER's second flyby of Mercury, a steady southward IMF was observed and the magnetopause was threaded by a strong magnetic field, indicating a reconnection rate ~10 times that typical at Earth. Moreover, a large flux transfer event was observed in the magnetosheath, and a plasmoid and multiple traveling compression regions were observed in Mercury's magnetotail, all products of reconnection. These observations indicate that Mercury's magnetosphere is much more responsive to IMF direction and dominated by the effects of reconnection than that of Earth or the other magnetized planets.

Sub-solar Magnetopause Observation and Simulation of a Tripolar Guide-Magnetic Field Perturbation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, S.; Cassak, P.; Retino, A.; Mozer, F.

2015-12-01

The Polar satellite recorded two reconnection exhausts within 6 min on 1 April 2001 at a rather symmetric sub-solar magnetopause that displayed different out-of-plane signatures for similar solar wind conditions. The first case was reported by Mozer et al. [2002] and displayed a bipolar guide field supporting a quadrupole Hall field consistent with a single X-line. The second case, however, shows the first known example of a tripolar guide-field perturbation at Earth's magnetopause reminiscent of the types of solar wind exhausts that Eriksson et al. [2014; 2015] have reported to be in agreement with multiple X-lines. A dedicated particle-in-cell simulation is performed for the prevailing conditions across the magnetopause. We propose an explanation in terms of asymmetric Hall magnetic fields due to a presence of a magnetic island between two X-lines, and discuss how higher resolution MMS observations can be used to further study this problem at the magnetopause.

VLA observations of A and B stars with kilogauss magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, S. A.; Abbott, D. C.; Linsky, J. L.; Bieging, J. H.; Churchwell, E.

1985-01-01

The serendipitous discovery that the star Sigma Ori E is a 3.5 mJy radio continuum source at 6 cm has stimulated a radio survey of other early-type stars with strong magnetic fields. No Ap stars have been detected of the eight observed, with typical 3-sigma upper limits of 0.5 mJy at 2 cm. Of the six Bp stars examined, only HR 1890, a helium-strong star, was detected. Possible emission mechanisms for the observed radio emission are discussed, and it is concluded that nonthermal emission seems the most plausible, on the basis of the present data.

Magnetic fields at uranus.

PubMed

Ness, N F; Acuña, M H; Behannon, K W; Burlaga, L F; Connerney, J E; Lepping, R P; Neubauer, F M

1986-07-04

The magnetic field experiment on the Voyager 2 spacecraft revealed a strong planetary magnetic field of Uranus and an associated magnetosphere and fully developed bipolar masnetic tail. The detached bow shock wave in the solar wind supersonic flow was observed upstream at 23.7 Uranus radii (1 R(U) = 25,600 km) and the magnetopause boundary at 18.0 R(U), near the planet-sun line. A miaximum magnetic field of 413 nanotesla was observed at 4.19 R(U ), just before closest approach. Initial analyses reveal that the planetary magnetic field is well represented by that of a dipole offset from the center of the planet by 0.3 R(U). The angle between Uranus' angular momentum vector and the dipole moment vector has the surprisingly large value of 60 degrees. Thus, in an astrophysical context, the field of Uranus may be described as that of an oblique rotator. The dipole moment of 0.23 gauss R(3)(U), combined with the large spatial offset, leads to minimum and maximum magnetic fields on the surface of the planet of approximately 0.1 and 1.1 gauss, respectively. The rotation period of the magnetic field and hence that of the interior of the planet is estimated to be 17.29+/- 0.10 hours; the magnetotail rotates about the planet-sun line with the same period. Thelarge offset and tilt lead to auroral zones far from the planetary rotation axis poles. The rings and the moons are embedded deep within the magnetosphere, and, because of the large dipole tilt, they will have a profound and diurnally varying influence as absorbers of the trapped radiation belt particles.

Magnetic fields at neptune.

PubMed

Ness, N F; Acuña, M H; Burlaga, L F; Connerney, J E; Lepping, R P; Neubauer, F M

1989-12-15

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center-University of Delaware Bartol Research Institute magnetic field experiment on the Voyager 2 spacecraft discovered a strong and complex intrinsic magnetic field of Neptune and an associated magnetosphere and magnetic tail. The detached bow shock wave in the supersonic solar wind flow was detected upstream at 34.9 Neptune radii (R(N)), and the magnetopause boundary was tentatively identified at 26.5 R(N) near the planet-sun line (1 R(N) = 24,765 kilometers). A maximum magnetic field of nearly 10,000 nanoteslas (1 nanotesla = 10(-5) gauss) was observed near closest approach, at a distance of 1.18 R(N). The planetary magnetic field between 4 and 15 R(N) can be well represented by an offset tilted magnetic dipole (OTD), displaced from the center of Neptune by the surprisingly large amount of 0.55 R(N) and inclined by 47 degrees with respect to the rotation axis. The OTD dipole moment is 0.133 gauss-R(N)(3). Within 4 R(N), the magnetic field representation must include localized sources or higher order magnetic multipoles, or both, which are not yet well determined. The obliquity of Neptune and the phase of its rotation at encounter combined serendipitously so that the spacecraft entered the magnetosphere at a time when the polar cusp region was directed almost precisely sunward. As the spacecraft exited the magnetosphere, the magnetic tail appeared to be monopolar, and no crossings of an imbedded magnetic field reversal or plasma neutral sheet were observed. The auroral zones are most likely located far from the rotation poles and may have a complicated geometry. The rings and all the known moons of Neptune are imbedded deep inside the magnetosphere, except for Nereid, which is outside when sunward of the planet. The radiation belts will have a complex structure owing to the absorption of energetic particles by the moons and rings of Neptune and losses associated with the significant changes

Radio observations of interplanetary magnetic field structures out of the ecliptic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzenreiter, R. J.; Fainberg, J.; Weber, R. R.; Alvarez, H.; Haddock, F. T.; Potter, W. H.

1976-01-01

New observations of the out-of-the ecliptic trajectories of type 3 solar radio bursts have been obtained from simultaneous direction finding measurements on two independent satellite experiments, IMP-6 with spin plane in the ecliptic, and RAE-2 with spin plane normal to the ecliptic. Burst exciter trajectories were observed which originated at the active region and then crossed the ecliptic plane at about 0.8 AU. A considerable large scale north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field is followed by the exciters. The apparent north-south and east-west angular source sizes observed by the two spacecraft are approximately equal, and range from 25 deg at 600 KHz to 110 deg at 80 KHz.

Induction of cell death by magnetic particles in response to a gradient magnetic field inside a uniform magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaya-Jaramillo, Carlos David; Pérez-Portilla, Adriana Patricia; Serrano-Olmedo, José Javier; Ramos-Gómez, Milagros

2017-10-01

A new instrument based on a magnetic force produced by an alternating magnetic field gradient, which is obtained through Maxwell coils, inside a constant field magnet has been designed and used to produce cell death. We have determined the interaction of microparticles and cells under different conditions such as incubation time with microparticles, particle size, magnetic field exposition time, and different current waveforms at different frequencies to produce a magnetic field gradient. We determined that the highest rate of cell death occurs at a frequency of 1 Hz with a square waveform and 1 h of irradiation. This method could be of great interest to remove cancer cells due mainly to the alterations in stiffness observed in the membranes of the tumor cells. Cancer cells can be eliminated in response to the forces caused by the movement of magnetic nanoparticles of the appropriate size under the application of a specific magnetic field. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Magnetic Field Dipolarization and Its Associated Ion Flux Variations in the Inner Magnetosphere: Simultaneous Observations by Arase and Michibiki Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nose, M.; Matsuoka, A.; Kasahara, S.; Yokota, S.; Higashio, N.; Koshiishi, H.; Imajo, S.; Teramoto, M.; Nomura, R.; Fujimoto, A.; Keika, K.; Tanaka, Y.; Shinohara, M.; Shinohara, I.; Yoshizumi, M.

2017-12-01

Recent satellite observations by MDS-1 and Van Allen Probes statistically revealed that magnetic field dipolarization can be detected over a wide range of L in the deep inner magnetosphere (i.e., L = 3.5-6.5, which is far inside the geosynchronous altitude). It is accompanied by magnetic field fluctuations having a characteristic timescale of a few to 10 s, which is comparable to the local gyroperiod of O+ ions. These magnetic field fluctuations are considered to cause nonadiabatic local acceleration of ions. In this study, we intend to confirm the above-mentioned characteristics of magnetic field dipolarization in the inner magnetosphere, using the magnetic field data and the energetic ion flux data measured by the Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) "Arase" satellite. The Arase satellite was launched on December 20, 2016 into an elliptical orbit having an apogee of 6.0 Re, a perigee of 440 km altitude, an orbital period of 9.5 h, and an orbital inclination of 32 degrees. During the first magnetic storm of March 27, 2017 after Arase started scientific operation, Arase observes clear dipolarization signatures around 1500 UT at L 4.6 and MLT 5.7 hr. Strong magnetic field fluctuations are embedded in the magnetic field dipolarization and their characteristic frequency is close to the local gyrofrequency of O+ ions. Both H+ and O+ flux enhancements are observed in accordance with the dipolarization. These results are consistent with the previous results. In this event, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZS)-1 "Michibiki" satellite was located at L 7.0 and MLT 23.8 hr, and observes similar dipolarization signatures with a few minute time difference. Simultaneous observations by both Arase and Michibiki provides us a unique opportunity to investigate how fast and wide the dipolarization propagates in the inner magnetosphere. In the presentation, we will show detailed analysis results of the dipolarization event on March 27, 2017 as well as similar

Flow Transitions in a Rotating Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volz, M. P.; Mazuruk, K.

1996-01-01

Critical Rayleigh numbers have been measured in a liquid metal cylinder of finite height in the presence of a rotating magnetic field. Several different stability regimes were observed, which were determined by the values of the Rayleigh and Hartmann numbers. For weak rotating magnetic fields and small Rayleigh numbers, the experimental observations can be explained by the existence of a single non-axisymmetric meridional roll rotating around the cylinder, driven by the azimuthal component of the magnetic field. The measured dependence of rotational velocity on magnetic field strength is consistent with the existence of laminar flow in this regime.

Substorm Electric And Magnetic Fields In The Earth's Magnetotail: Observations Compared To The WINDMI Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivas, P. G.; Spencer, E. A.; Vadepu, S. K.; Horton, W., Jr.

2017-12-01

We compare satellite observations of substorm electric fields and magnetic fields to the output of a low dimensional nonlinear physics model of the nightside magnetosphere called WINDMI. The electric and magnetic field satellite data are used to calculate the E X B drift, which is one of the intermediate variables of the WINDMI model. The model uses solar wind and IMF measurements from the ACE spacecraft as input into a system of 8 nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The state variables of the differential equations represent the energy stored in the geomagnetic tail, central plasma sheet, ring current and field aligned currents. The output from the model is the ground based geomagnetic westward auroral electrojet (AL) index, and the Dst index.Using ACE solar wind data, IMF data and SuperMAG identification of substorm onset times up to December 2015, we constrain the WINDMI model to trigger substorm events, and compare the model intermediate variables to THEMIS and GEOTAIL satellite data in the magnetotail. By forcing the model to be consistent with satellite electric and magnetic field observations, we are able to track the magnetotail energy dynamics, the field aligned current contributions, energy injections into the ring current, and ensure that they are within allowable limts. In addition we are able to constrain the physical parameters of the model, in particular the lobe inductance, the plasma sheet capacitance, and the resistive and conductive parameters in the plasma sheet and ionosphere.

Observations Of Polarized Dust Emission In Protostars: How To Reconstruct Magnetic Field Properties?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maury, Anaëlle; Galametz, M.; Girart; Guillet; Hennebelle, P.; Houde; Rao; Valdivia, V.; Zhang, Q.

2017-10-01

I will present our ALMA Cycle 2 polarized dust continuum data towards the Class 0 protostar B335 where the absence of detected rotational motions in the inner envelope might suggest an efficient magnetic braking at work to inhibit the formation of a large disk. The Band 6 data we obtained shows an intriguing polarized vectors topology, which could either suggest (i) at least two different grain alignment mechanisms at work in B335 to produce the observed polarization pattern, or (ii) an interferometric bias leading to filtering of the polarized signal that is different from the filtering of Stokes I. I will discuss both options, proposing multi-wavelength and multi observatory (ALMA Band3 data in Cycle 5, NIKA2Pol camera on the IRAM-30m) strategies to lift the degeneracy when using polarization observations as a proxy of magnetic fields in dense astrophysical environments. This observational effort in the framework of the MagneticYSOs project, is also supported by our development of an end-to-end chain of ALMA synthetic observations of the polarization from non-ideal MHD simulations of protostellar collapse (see complementary contributions by V. Valdivia and M. Galametz).

The Z3 model of Saturn's magnetic field and the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connerney, J. E. P.; Acuna, M. H.; Ness, N. F.

1984-01-01

Magnetic field observations obtained by the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer are compared with the Z(sub 3) model magnetic field. These Pioneer 11 observations, obtained at close-in radial distances, constitute an important and independent test of the Z(sub 3) zonal harmonic model, which was derived from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 fluxgate magnetometer observations. Differences between the Pioneer 11 magnetometer and the Z(sub 3) model field are found to be small (approximately 1 percent) and quantitatively consistent with the expected instrumental accuracy. A detailed examination of these differences in spacecraft payload coordinates shows that they are uniquely associated with the instrument frame of reference and operation. A much improved fit to the Pioneer 11 observations is obtained by rotation of the instrument coordinate system about the spacecraft spin axis by 1.4 degree. With this adjustment, possibly associated with an instrumental phase lag or roll attitude error, the Pioneer 11 vector helium magnetometer observations are fully consistent with the Voyager Z(sub 3) model.

Plasma properties and magnetic field structure of the solar corona, based on coordinated Max 1991 observations from SERTS, the VLA, and magnetographs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brosius, Jeffrey W.

1995-01-01

The purposes of this investigation are to use existing, calibrated, coaligned sets of coordinated multiwaveband observations of the Sun to determine the coronal magnetic field strength and structure, and interpret the collective observations in terms of a self-consistent model of the coronal plasma and magnetic field. This information is vital to understanding processes such as coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, pre-flare energy storage, and active region evolution. Understanding these processes is the central theme of Max '91, the NASA-supported series of solar observing campaigns under which the observations acquired for this work were obtained. The observations came from NASA/GSFC's Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS), the Very Large Array (VLA), and magnetographs. The technique of calculating the coronal magnetic field is to establish the contributions to the microwave emission from the two main emission mechanisms: thermal bremsstrahlung and thermal gyroemission. This is done by using the EUV emission to determine values of the coronal plasma quantities needed to calculate the thermal bremsstrahlung contribution to the microwave emission. Once the microwave emission mechanism(s) are determined, the coronal magnetic field can be calculated. A comparison of the coronal magnetic field derived from the coordinated multiwaveband observations with extrapolations from photospheric magnetograms will provide insight into the nature of the coronal magnetic field.

Magnetic Field Fluctuations Observed in the Heliosheath and Interstellar Magnetic Field by Voyager 1 at 115.7-124.9 AU during 2011-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.; Florinski, V.; Heerikhuisen, J.

2014-09-01

We discuss microscale fluctuations of the hour averages of the magnetic field B observed on a scale of one day by Voyager 1 (V1) from 2011.0 to 2012.3143 (when it was within the distant heliosheath, where the average magnetic field strength langBrang = 0.17 nT) and during the interval from 2012.6503 to 2013.5855 (when it was within the interstellar plasma with langBrang = 0.47 nT). In both regions, the fluctuations were primarily compressive fluctuations, varying along the average B (≈T direction in RTN coordinates). In the heliosheath, the average of the daily standard deviations (SDs) of the compressive and transverse components of B were langSDcrang = 0.010 nT and langSDtrang <= 0.005 nT (which is the limit of the measurement). In the distant heliosheath langSDcrang/langBrang = 0.06, and the distributions of SD were skewed and highly kurtotic. The interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) strength was B = 0.48 nT, but the fluctuations were below the limit of measurement: langSDcrang = 0.004 nT and langabs(SDt)rang = 0.004 nT. The distributions of these interstellar SDs have skewness and kurtosis consistent with a Gaussian noise distribution. We also discuss the fluctuations of 48 s averages of B on a scale of 1 day during a 30 day interval when V1 was observing the ISMF. For the fluctuations in all three components of B, SD = 0.010 nT, which gives an upper limit on the fluctuations of the ISMF on the scales observed by V1. This SD rules out the possibility that there is significant power in electromagnetic fluctuations generated by pickup ion ring instabilities at these scales, which strongly constrains models of the IBEX ribbon.

Observation of spin-polarized photoconductivity in (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs heterojunction without magnetic field

PubMed Central

Wu, Qing; Liu, Yu; Wang, Hailong; Li, Yuan; Huang, Wei; Zhao, Jianhua; Chen, Yonghai

2017-01-01

In the absent of magnetic field, we have observed the anisotropic spin polarization degree of photoconduction (SPD-PC) in (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs heterojunction. We think three kinds of mechanisms contribute to the magnetic related signal, (i) (Ga,Mn)As self-producing due to the valence band polarization, (ii) unequal intensity of left and right circularly polarized light reaching to GaAs layer to excite unequal spin polarized carriers in GaAs layer, and (iii) (Ga,Mn)As as the spin filter layer for spin transport from GaAs to (Ga,Mn)As. Different from the previous experiments, the influence coming from the Zeeman splitting induced by an external magnetic field can be avoided here. While temperature dependence experiment indicates that the SPD-PC is mixed with the magnetic uncorrelated signals, which may come from current induced spin polarization. PMID:28084437

Mariner 10 magnetic field observations of the Venus wake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lepping, R. P.; Behannon, K. W.

1977-01-01

Magnetic field measurements made over a 21-hour interval during the Mariner 10 encounter with Venus were used to study the down-stream region of the solar wind-Venus interaction over a distance of approximately 100 R sub v. For most of the day before closest approach the spacecraft was located in a sheath-like region which was apparently bounded by planetary bow shock on the outer side and either a planetary wake boundary or transient boundary-like feature on the inner side. The spacecraft made multiple encounters with the wake-like boundary during the 21-hour interval with an increasing frequency as it approached the planet. Each pass into the wake boundary from the sheath region was consistently characterized by a slight decrease in magnetic field magnitude, a marked increase in the frequency and amplitude of field fluctuations, and a systematic clockwise rotation of the field direction when viewed from above the plane of the planet orbit.

Photospheric magnetic fields in six magnetographs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtanen, Ilpo; Mursula, Kalevi

2016-10-01

Photospheric magnetic field has been routinely observed since 1950s, but calibrated digital data exist only since 1970s. The longest uniform data set is measured at the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO), covering 40 years from 1976 onwards. However, the WSO instrument operates in very low spatial resolution and suffers from saturation of strong fields. Other, higher resolution instruments like those at NSO Kitt Peak (KP) offer a more detailed view of the solar magnetic field, but several instrument updates make the data less uniform. While the different observatories show a similar large scale structure of the photospheric field, the measured magnetic field intensities differ significantly between the observatories. In this work we study the photospheric magnetic fields and, especially, the scaling of the magnetic field intensity between six independent data sets. We use synoptic maps constructed from the measurements of the photospheric magnetic field at Wilcox Solar Observatory, Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO), Kitt Peak (KP), SOLIS, SOHO/MDI and SDO/HMI. We calculate the harmonic expansion of the magnetic field from all six data sets and investigate the scaling of harmonic coefficients between the observations. We investigate how scaling depends on latitude and field strength, as well as on the solar cycle phase, and what is the effect of polar field filling in KP, SOLIS and MDI. We find that scaling factors based on harmonic coefficients are in general smaller than scaling factors based on pixel-by-pixel comparison or histogram techniques. This indicates that a significant amount of total flux is contained in the high harmonics of the higher resolution observations that are beyond the resolution of WSO. We note that only scaling factors based on harmonic coefficients should be used when using the PFSS-model, since the other methods tend to lead to overestimated values of the magnetic flux. The scaling of the low order harmonic coefficients is typically different

Ionospheric convection signatures observed by DE 2 during northward interplanetary magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heelis, R. A.; Hanson, W. B.; Reiff, P. H.; Winningham, J. D.

1986-01-01

Observations of the ionospheric convection signature at high latitudes are examined during periods of prolonged northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The data from Dynamics Explorer 2 show that a four-cell convection pattern can frequently be observed in a region that is displaced to the sunward side of the dawn-dusk meridian regardless of season. In the eclipsed ionosphere, extremely structured or turbulent flow exists with no identifiable connection to a more coherent pattern that may simultaneously exist in the dayside region. The two highest-latitude convection cells that form part of the coherent dayside pattern show a dependence on the y component of the IMF. This dependence is such that a clockwise circulating cell displaced toward dawn dominates the high-latitude region when B(Y) is positive. Anti-clockwise circulation displaced toward dusk dominates the highest latitudes when B(Y) is negative. Examination of the simultaneously observed energetic particle environment suggests that both open and closed field lines may be associated with the high-latitude convection cells. On occasions these entire cells can exist on open field lines. The existence of closed field lines in regions of sunward flow is also apparent in the data.

Magnetic field observations in the near-field the 28 June 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers, California, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnston, M.J.; Mueller, R.J.; Sasai, Yoichi

1994-01-01

Recent reports suggest that large magnetic field changes occur prior to, and during, large earthquakes. Two continuously operating proton magnetometers, LSBM and OCHM, at distances of 17.3 and 24.2 km, respectively, from the epicenter of the 28 June 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers earthquake, recorded data through the earthquake and its aftershocks. These two stations are part of a differentially connected array of proton magnetometers that has been operated along the San Andreas fault since 1976. The instruments have a sensitivity of 0.25 nT or better and transmit data every 10 min through the GOES satellite to the USGS headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Seismomagnetic offsets of −1.2 ± 0.6 and −0.7 ± 0.7 nT were observed at these sites. In comparison, offsets of −0.3 ± 0.2 and −1.3 ± 0.2 nT were observed during the 8 July 1986 ML 5.9 North Palm Springs earthquake, which occurred directly beneath the OCHM magnetometer site. The observations are generally consistent with seismomagnetic models of the earthquake, in which fault geometry and slip have the same from as that determined by either inversion of the seismic data or inversion of geodetically determined ground displacements produced by the earthquake. In these models, right-lateral rupture occurs on connected fault segments in a homogeneous medium with average magnetization of 2 A/m. The fault-slip distribution has roughly the same form as the observed surface rupture, and the total moment release is 1.1 × 1020 Nm. There is no indication of diffusion-like character to the magnetic field offsets that might indicate these effects result from fluid flow phenomena. It thus seems unlikely that these earthquake-generated offsets and those produced by the North Palm Springs earthquake were generated by electrokinetic effects. Also, there are no indications of enhanced low-frequency magnetic noise before the earthquake at frequencies below 0.001 Hz.

Understanding the Internal Magnetic Field Configurations of ICMEs Using More than 20 Years of Wind Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieves-Chinchilla, T.; Vourlidas, A.; Raymond, J. C.; Linton, M. G.; Al-haddad, N.; Savani, N. P.; Szabo, A.; Hidalgo, M. A.

2018-02-01

The magnetic topology, structure, and geometry of the magnetic obstacles embedded within interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are not yet fully and consistently described by in situ models and reconstruction techniques. The main goal of this work is to better understand the status of the internal magnetic field of ICMEs and to explore in situ signatures to identify clues to develop a more accurate and reliable in situ analytical models. We take advantage of more than 20 years of Wind observations of transients at 1 AU to compile a comprehensive database of ICMEs through three solar cycles, from 1995 to 2015. The catalog is publicly available at wind.gsfc.nasa.gov and is fully described in this article. We identify and collect the properties of 337 ICMEs, of which 298 show organized magnetic field signatures. To allow for departures from idealized magnetic configurations, we introduce the term "magnetic obstacle" (MO) to signify the possibility of more complex configurations. To quantify the asymmetry of the magnetic field strength profile within these events, we introduce the distortion parameter (DiP) and calculate the expansion velocity within the magnetic obstacle. Circular-cylindrical geometry is assumed when the magnetic field strength displays a symmetric profile. We perform a statistical study of these two parameters and find that only 35% of the events show symmetric magnetic profiles and a low enough expansion velocity to be compatible with the assumption of an idealized cylindrical static flux rope, and that 41% of the events do not show the expected relationship between expansion and magnetic field compression in the front, with the maximum magnetic field closer to the first encounter of the spacecraft with the magnetic obstacle; 18% show contractions ( i.e. apparent negative expansion velocity), and 30% show magnetic field compression in the back. We derive an empirical relation between DiP and expansion velocity that is the first step toward

Magnetism and High-magnetic Field Magnetization in Alkali Superoxide CsO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyajima, Mizuki; Astuti, Fahmi; Kakuto, Takeshi; Matsuo, Akira; Puspita Sari, Dita; Asih, Retno; Okunishi, Kouichi; Nakano, Takehito; Nozue, Yasuo; Kindo, Koichi; Watanabe, Isao; Kambe, Takashi

2018-06-01

Alkali superoxide CsO2 is one of the candidates for the spin-1/2 one-dimensional (1D) antiferromagnet, which may be sequentially formed by an ordering of the π-orbital of O2 - molecule below TS ˜ 70 K. Here, we report the magnetism and the high-magnetic field magnetization in pulsed-magnetic fields up to 60 T in powder CsO2. We obtained the low temperature phase diagram around the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature TN = 9.6 K under the magnetic field. At T = 1.3 K, we observed a remarkable up-turn curvature in the magnetization around a saturation field of ˜60 T, which indicates the low-dimensional nature of the spin system. The saturated magnetization is also estimated to be ˜1μB, which corresponds to spin-1/2. In this study we compare it with the theoretical calculation.

A New Approach to Isolating External Magnetic Field Components in Spacecraft Measurements of the Earth's Magnetic Field Using Global Positioning System observables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raymond, C.; Hajj, G.

1994-01-01

We review the problem of separating components of the magnetic field arising from sources in the Earth's core and lithosphere, from those contributions arising external to the Earth, namely ionospheric and magnetospheric fields, in spacecraft measurements of the Earth's magnetic field.

Flare-induced changes of the photospheric magnetic field in a δ-spot deduced from ground-based observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gömöry, P.; Balthasar, H.; Kuckein, C.; Koza, J.; Veronig, A. M.; González Manrique, S. J.; Kučera, A.; Schwartz, P.; Hanslmeier, A.

2017-06-01

Aims: Changes of the magnetic field and the line-of-sight velocities in the photosphere are being reported for an M-class flare that originated at a δ-spot belonging to active region NOAA 11865. Methods: High-resolution ground-based near-infrared spectropolarimetric observations were acquired simultaneously in two photospheric spectral lines, Fe I 10783 Å and Si I 10786 Å, with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter at the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife on 2013 October 15. The observations covered several stages of the M-class flare. Inversions of the full-Stokes vector of both lines were carried out and the results were put into context using (extreme)-ultraviolet filtergrams from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Results: The active region showed high flaring activity during the whole observing period. After the M-class flare, the longitudinal magnetic field did not show significant changes along the polarity inversion line (PIL). However, an enhancement of the transverse magnetic field of approximately 550 G was found that bridges the PIL and connects umbrae of opposite polarities in the δ-spot. At the same time, a newly formed system of loops appeared co-spatially in the corona as seen in 171 Å filtergrams of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO. However, we cannot exclude that the magnetic connection between the umbrae already existed in the upper atmosphere before the M-class flare and became visible only later when it was filled with hot plasma. The photospheric Doppler velocities show a persistent upflow pattern along the PIL without significant changes due to the flare. Conclusions: The increase of the transverse component of the magnetic field after the flare together with the newly formed loop system in the corona support recent predictions of flare models and flare observations. The movie associated to Figs. 4 and 5 is available at http://www.aanda.org

Magnetic field in expanding quark-gluon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Evan; Tuchin, Kirill

2018-04-01

Intense electromagnetic fields are created in the quark-gluon plasma by the external ultrarelativistic valence charges. The time evolution and the strength of this field are strongly affected by the electrical conductivity of the plasma. Yet, it has recently been observed that the effect of the magnetic field on the plasma flow is small. We compute the effect of plasma flow on magnetic field and demonstrate that it is less than 10%. These observations indicate that the plasma hydrodynamics and the dynamics of electromagnetic field decouple. Thus, it is a very good approximation, on the one hand, to study QGP in the background electromagnetic field generated by external sources and, on the other hand, to investigate the dynamics of magnetic field in the background plasma. We also argue that the wake induced by the magnetic field in plasma is negligible.

Magnetic field reversals in the Milky Way- "cherchez le champ magnetique".

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallee, J. P.

1996-04-01

Radio observations of nearby spiral galaxies have tremendously enhanced our knowledge of their global magnetic field distributions. Recent theoretical developments in the area of dynamos have also helped in the interpretation of magnetic field data in spiral galaxies. When it comes to the magnetic field in the Milky Way galaxy, our position in the Milky Way's galactic disk hinders our attempts at interpreting the observational data. This makes the proposition of "cherchez le champ magnetique" a difficult one to follow. Some recent papers have attempted to fit magnetic field models to spiral galaxies, and in particular to the Milky Way galaxy. Magnetic field reversals in the Milky Way are crucial to all interpretations, be they axisymmetric spiral (ASS) or bisymmetric spiral (BSS) global magnetic field models. Magnetic field reversals can be found in both ASS and BSS magnetic field models, not just BSS ones. The axisymmetric spiral (ASS) magnetic field models produced by the dynamo theory already predict magnetic field reversals, and they are of the type observed in the Milky Way. The small number of magnetic field reversals observed in the Milky Way is compatible with the ASS magnetic field models. The bisymmetric spiral (BSS) magnetic field models as applied to the pulsar RM data and to the QSO and galaxies data have many problems, due to the many pitfalls in model fitting the magnetic field reversals observed in the Milky Way. Many pitfalls are discussed here, including the incomplete comparisons of BSS versus ASS models, the number of spiral arms to be used in modelling, and the proper distance to pulsars via the more accurate distribution of thermal electrons within spiral arms. The two magnetic field reversals in our Milky Way are clearly located in the interarm regions. Predicted magnetic field reversals are periodic, while observed ones are not periodic. Magnetic field reversals cannot be masked effectively by local interstellar magnetised shells. The

Equatorial magnetic field of the near-Earth magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtani, S.; Motoba, T.

2017-08-01

The equatorial magnetic field of the nightside magnetosphere is critical for understanding not only the configuration of the magnetotail but also its state and dynamics. The present study observationally addresses various aspects of the equatorial magnetic field, such as its spatial distribution, possible antisunward gradients, and extremely weak magnetic fields, with emphasis on the transition region between dipolar and stretched magnetic configurations. The results are summarized as follows: (1) the transition of the tail magnetic field from a near-Earth dipolar configuration to a stretched one farther out takes place around -12 ≤ Xagsm ≤ -9 RE, although instantaneous configurations can vary significantly; (2) the average equatorial magnetic field in this transition region is noticeably weaker at solar minimum presumably reflecting weaker nightside magnetospheric currents closer to Earth; (3) the statistical comparison of equatorial magnetic fields measured simultaneously at two locations indicates that the gradient of the equatorial magnetic field is directed predominantly earthward, and it is suggested that apparent tailward gradients observed can be very often attributed to other factors such as structures in the Y direction and local fluctuations; (4) however, the gradient can be transiently directed tailward in association with the dipolarization of local magnetic field; (5) extremely weak (≤ 2 nT) magnetic fields are occasionally observed in the transition region during the substorm growth phase and during prolonged quiet intervals, but the association with steady magnetospheric convection, which was suggested before, cannot be confirmed possibly because of its rare occurrence.

Magnetic fields of young solar twins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosén, L.; Kochukhov, O.; Hackman, T.; Lehtinen, J.

2016-09-01

Aims: The goal of this work is to study the magnetic fields of six young solar-analogue stars both individually, and collectively, to search for possible magnetic field trends with age. If such trends are found, they can be used to understand magnetism in the context of stellar evolution of solar-like stars and to understand the past of the Sun and the solar system. This is also important for the atmospheric evolution of the inner planets, Earth in particular. Methods: We used Stokes IV data from two different spectropolarimeters, NARVAL and HARPSpol. The least-squares deconvolution multi-line technique was used to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the data. We then applied a modern Zeeman-Doppler imaging code in order to reconstruct the magnetic topology of all stars and the brightness distribution of one of our studied stars. Results: Our results show a significant decrease in the magnetic field strength and energy as the stellar age increases from 100 Myr to 250 Myr, while there is no significant age dependence of the mean magnetic field strength for stars with ages 250-650 Myr. The spread in the mean field strength between different stars is comparable to the scatter between different observations of individual stars. The meridional field component is weaker than the radial and azimuthal field components in 15 of the 16 magnetic maps. It turns out that 89-97% of the magnetic field energy is contained in l = 1 - 3. There is also no clear trend with age and distribution of field energy into poloidal/toroidal and axisymmetric/non-axisymmetric components within the sample. The two oldest stars in this study show an octupole component that is twice as strong as the quadrupole component. This is only seen in 1 of the 13 maps of the younger stars. One star, χ1 Ori, displays two field polarity switches during almost 5 yr of observations suggesting a magnetic cycle length of 2, 6, or 8 yr. Based on observations made with the HARPSpol instrument on the ESO 3.6 m

Magnetic fields in non-convective regions of stars.

PubMed

Braithwaite, Jonathan; Spruit, Henk C

2017-02-01

We review the current state of knowledge of magnetic fields inside stars, concentrating on recent developments concerning magnetic fields in stably stratified (zones of) stars, leaving out convective dynamo theories and observations of convective envelopes. We include the observational properties of A, B and O-type main-sequence stars, which have radiative envelopes, and the fossil field model which is normally invoked to explain the strong fields sometimes seen in these stars. Observations seem to show that Ap-type stable fields are excluded in stars with convective envelopes. Most stars contain both radiative and convective zones, and there are potentially important effects arising from the interaction of magnetic fields at the boundaries between them; the solar cycle being one of the better known examples. Related to this, we discuss whether the Sun could harbour a magnetic field in its core. Recent developments regarding the various convective and radiative layers near the surfaces of early-type stars and their observational effects are examined. We look at possible dynamo mechanisms that run on differential rotation rather than convection. Finally, we turn to neutron stars with a discussion of the possible origins for their magnetic fields.

Magnetic fields in non-convective regions of stars

PubMed Central

Braithwaite, Jonathan

2017-01-01

We review the current state of knowledge of magnetic fields inside stars, concentrating on recent developments concerning magnetic fields in stably stratified (zones of) stars, leaving out convective dynamo theories and observations of convective envelopes. We include the observational properties of A, B and O-type main-sequence stars, which have radiative envelopes, and the fossil field model which is normally invoked to explain the strong fields sometimes seen in these stars. Observations seem to show that Ap-type stable fields are excluded in stars with convective envelopes. Most stars contain both radiative and convective zones, and there are potentially important effects arising from the interaction of magnetic fields at the boundaries between them; the solar cycle being one of the better known examples. Related to this, we discuss whether the Sun could harbour a magnetic field in its core. Recent developments regarding the various convective and radiative layers near the surfaces of early-type stars and their observational effects are examined. We look at possible dynamo mechanisms that run on differential rotation rather than convection. Finally, we turn to neutron stars with a discussion of the possible origins for their magnetic fields. PMID:28386410

Measurements of Solar Vector Magnetic Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, M. J. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Various aspects of the measurement of solar magnetic fields are presented. The four major subdivisions of the study are: (1) theoretical understanding of solar vector magnetic fields; (3) techniques for interpretation of observational data; and (4) techniques for data display.

High frequency variations of the main magnetic field: convergence of observations and theory (Petrus Peregrinus Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jault, Dominique

2013-04-01

Understanding the main magnetic field variations has been hindered by the discrepancy between the periods (from months to years) of the simplest linear wave phenomena and the relatively long time intervals (10 to 100 years) over which magnetic field changes can be confidently monitored. A theoretical description of short-period waves within the Earth's fluid core is at hand. Quasi-geostrophic inertial waves (akin to Rossby waves in the atmosphere) are slightly modified in the presence of magnetic fields and torsional oscillations consist of differential motion between coaxial rigid cylindrical annuli. Torsional oscillations are sensitive to the whole magnetic field that they shear in the course of their propagation. From their modelling, we have thus gained an estimate for the magnetic field strength in the core interior. There is now ongoing work to extend the theoretical framework to longer times. Furthermore, data collected from the Swarm constellation of three satellites to be launched this year by ESA will permit to better separate the internal and external magnetic signals. We may thus dream to detect quasi-geostrophic inertial waves. As the spectral ranges of theoretical models and observations begin to overlap, we can now go beyond the understanding of the magnetic field variations as the juxtaposition of partial models, arranged as a set of nested Matryoshka dolls. This talk will give illustrations for this statement, among which the question of induction in the lower mantle.

Representation of magnetic fields in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, D. P.

1975-01-01

Several methods by which a magnetic field in space can be represented are reviewed with particular attention to problems of the observed geomagnetic field. Time dependence is assumed to be negligible, and five main classes of representation are described by vector potential, scalar potential, orthogonal vectors, Euler potentials, and expanded magnetic field.

Flux Transport and the Sun's Global Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hathaway, David H.

2010-01-01

The Sun s global magnetic field is produced and evolved through the emergence of magnetic flux in active regions and its transport across the solar surface by the axisymmetric differential rotation and meridional flow and the non-axisymmetric convective flows of granulation, supergranulation, and giant cell convection. Maps of the global magnetic field serve as the inner boundary condition for space weather. The photospheric magnetic field and its evolution determine the coronal and solar wind structures through which CMEs must propagate and in which solar energetic particles are accelerated and propagate. Producing magnetic maps which best represent the actual field configuration at any instant requires knowing the magnetic field over the observed hemisphere as well as knowing the flows that transport flux. From our Earth-based vantage point we only observe the front-side hemisphere and each pole is observable for only six months of the year at best. Models for the surface magnetic flux transport can be used to provide updates to the magnetic field configuration in those unseen regions. In this presentation I will describe successes and failures of surface flux transport and present new observations on the structure, the solar cycle variability, and the evolution of the flows involved in magnetic flux transport. I find that supergranules play the dominant role due to their strong flow velocities and long lifetimes. Flux is transported by differential rotation and meridional flow only to the extent that the supergranules participate in those two flows.

Detection of magnetic fields in chemically peculiar stars observed with the K2 space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buysschaert, B.; Neiner, C.; Martin, A. J.; Aerts, C.; Bowman, D. M.; Oksala, M. E.; Van Reeth, T.

2018-05-01

We report the results of an observational study aimed at searching for magnetic pulsating hot stars suitable for magneto-asteroseismology. A sample of sixteen chemically peculiar stars was selected and analysed using both high-resolution spectropolarimetry with ESPaDOnS and K2 high-precision space photometry. For all stars, we derive the effective temperature, surface gravity, rotational and non-rotational line broadening from our spectropolarimetric data. High-quality K2 light curves were obtained for thirteen of the sixteen stars and revealed rotational modulation, providing accurate rotation periods. Two stars show evidence for roAp pulsations, and one star shows signatures of internal gravity waves or unresolved g-mode pulsations. We confirm the presence of a large-scale magnetic field for eleven of the studied stars, of which nine are first detections. Further, we report one marginal detection and four non-detections. Two of the stars with a non-detected magnetic field show rotational modulation due to surface abundance inhomogeneities in the K2 light curve, and we confirm that the other two are chemically peculiar. Thus, these five stars likely host a weak (undetected) large-scale magnetic field.

Observational Evidence of Shallow Origins for the Magnetic Fields of Solar Cycles - a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Sara F.

2018-05-01

Observational evidence for the origin of active region magnetic fields has been sought from published information on extended solar cycles, statistical distributions of active regions and ephemeral regions, helioseismology results, positional relationships to supergranules, and fine-scale magnetic structure of active regions and their sunspots during their growth. Statistical distributions of areas of ephemeral and active regions blend together to reveal a single power law. The shape of the size distribution in latitude of all active regions is independent of time during the solar cycle, yielding further evidence that active regions of all sizes belong to the same population. Elementary bipoles, identified also by other names, appear to be the building blocks of active regions; sunspots form from elementary bipoles and are therefore deduced to develop from the photosphere downward, consistent with helioseismic detection of downflows to 3-4 Mm below sunspots as well as long-observed downflows from chromospheric/coronal arch filaments into sunspots from their earliest appearance. Time-distance helioseismology has been effective in revealing flows related to sunspots to depths of 20 Mm. Ring diagram analysis shows a statistically significant preference for upflows to precede major active region emergence and downflows after flux emergence but both are often observed together or sometimes not detected. From deep-focus helioseismic techniques for seeking magnetic flux below the photosphere prior major active regions, there is evidence of acoustic travel-time perturbation signatures rising in the limited range of depths of 42-75 Mm but these have not been verified or found at more shallow depths by helioseismic holographic techniques. The development of active regions from clusters of elementary bipoles appears to be the same irrespective of how much flux an active region eventually develops. This property would be consistent with the magnetic fields of large active

Observation of plasma rotation driven by static nonaxisymmetric magnetic fields in a tokamak.

PubMed

Garofalo, A M; Burrell, K H; DeBoo, J C; deGrassie, J S; Jackson, G L; Lanctot, M; Reimerdes, H; Schaffer, M J; Solomon, W M; Strait, E J

2008-11-07

We present the first evidence for the existence of a neoclassical toroidal rotation driven in a direction counter to the plasma current by nonaxisymmetric, nonresonant magnetic fields. At high beta and with large injected neutral beam momentum, the nonresonant field torque slows down the plasma toward the neoclassical "offset" rotation rate. With small injected neutral beam momentum, the toroidal rotation is accelerated toward the offset rotation, with resulting improvement in the global energy confinement time. The observed magnitude, direction, and radial profile of the offset rotation are consistent with neoclassical theory predictions.

Observations of the Earth's magnetic field from the Space Station: Measurement at high and extremely low altitude using Space Station-controlled free-flyers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, W., Jr.; Frawley, J. J.; Stefanik, M.

1984-01-01

Simulation studies established that the main (core), crustal and electrojet components of the Earth's magnetic field can be observed with greater resolution or over a longer time-base than is presently possible by using the capabilities provided by the space station. Two systems are studied. The first, a large lifetime, magnetic monitor would observe the main field and its time variation. The second, a remotely-piloted, magnetic probe would observe the crustal field at low altitude and the electrojet field in situ. The system design and the scientific performance of these systems is assessed. The advantages of the space station are reviewed.

Tripolar electric field Structure in guide field magnetic reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Song; Huang, Shiyong; Zhou, Meng; Ni, Binbin; Deng, Xiaohua

2018-03-01

It has been shown that the guide field substantially modifies the structure of the reconnection layer. For instance, the Hall magnetic and electric fields are distorted in guide field reconnection compared to reconnection without guide fields (i.e., anti-parallel reconnection). In this paper, we performed 2.5-D electromagnetic full particle simulation to study the electric field structures in magnetic reconnection under different initial guide fields (Bg). Once the amplitude of a guide field exceeds 0.3 times the asymptotic magnetic field B0, the traditional bipolar Hall electric field is clearly replaced by a tripolar electric field, which consists of a newly emerged electric field and the bipolar Hall electric field. The newly emerged electric field is a convective electric field about one ion inertial length away from the neutral sheet. It arises from the disappearance of the Hall electric field due to the substantial modification of the magnetic field and electric current by the imposed guide field. The peak magnitude of this new electric field increases linearly with the increment of guide field strength. Possible applications of these results to space observations are also discussed.

Diagnosing the Magnetic Field Structure of a Coronal Cavity Observed during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yajie; Tian, Hui; Su, Yingna; Qu, Zhongquan; Deng, Linhua; Jibben, Patricia R.; Yang, Zihao; Zhang, Jingwen; Samanta, Tanmoy; He, Jiansen; Wang, Linghua; Zhu, Yingjie; Zhong, Yue; Liang, Yu

2018-03-01

We present an investigation of a coronal cavity observed above the western limb in the coronal red line Fe X 6374 Å using a telescope of Peking University and in the green line Fe XIV 5303 Å using a telescope of Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, during the total solar eclipse on 2017 August 21. A series of magnetic field models is constructed based on the magnetograms taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) one week before the eclipse. The model field lines are then compared with coronal structures seen in images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board SDO and in our coronal red line images. The best-fit model consists of a flux rope with a twist angle of 3.1π, which is consistent with the most probable value of the total twist angle of interplanetary flux ropes observed at 1 au. Linear polarization of the Fe XIII 10747 Å line calculated from this model shows a “lagomorphic” signature that is also observed by the Coronal Multichannel Polarimeter of the High Altitude Observatory. We also find a ring-shaped structure in the line-of-sight velocity of Fe XIII 10747 Å, which implies hot plasma flows along a helical magnetic field structure, in the cavity. These results suggest that the magnetic structure of the cavity is a highly twisted flux rope, which may erupt eventually. The temperature structure of the cavity has also been investigated using the intensity ratio of Fe XIII 10747 Å and Fe X 6374 Å.

Nonpotential features observed in the magnetic field of an active region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gary, G. A.; Moore, R. L.; Hagyard, M. J.; Haisch, Bernhard M.

1987-01-01

A unique coordinated data set consisting of vector magnetograms, H-alpha photographs, and high-resolution ultraviolet images of a solar active region is used, together with mathematical models, to calculate potential and force-free magnetic field lines and to examine the nonpotential nature of the active region structure. It is found that the overall bipolar magnetic field of the active region had a net twist corresponding to net current of order 3 x 10 to the 12th A and average density of order 4 x 10 to the -4th A/sq m flowing antiparallel to the field. There were three regions of enhanced nonpotentiality in the interior of the active region; in one the field had a marked nonpotential twist or shear with height above the photosphere. The measured total nonpotential magnetic energy stored in the entire active region was of order 10 to the 32nd ergs, about 3 sigma above the noise level.

Observations of disconnection of open coronal magnetic structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccomas, D. J.; Phillips, J. L.; Hundhausen, A. J.; Burkepile, J. T.

1991-01-01

The solar maximum mission coronagraph/polarimeter observations are surveyed for evidence of magnetic disconnection of previously open magnetic structures and several sequences of images consistent with this interpretation are identified. Such disconnection occurs when open field lines above helmet streamers reconnect, in contrast to previously suggested disconnections of CMEs into closed plasmoids. In this paper a clear example of open field disconnection is shown in detail. The event, on June 27, 1988, is preceded by compression of a preexisting helmet streamer and the open coronal field around it. The compressed helmet streamer and surrounding open field region detach in a large U-shaped structure which subsequently accelerates outward from the sun. The observed sequence of events is consistent with reconnection across the heliospheric current sheet and the creation of a detached U-shaped magnetic structure. Unlike CMEs, which may open new magnetic flux into interplanetary space, this process could serve to close off previously open flux, perhaps helping to maintain the roughly constant amount of open magnetic flux observed in interplanetary space.

Cosmic Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, J.; Martínez González, M. J.

2018-05-01

Magnetic fields play an important role in many astrophysical processes. They are difficult to detect and characterize since often their properties have to be inferred through interpreting the polarization of the light. Magnetic fields are also challenging to model and understand. Magnetized plasmas behave following highly non-linear differential equations having no general solution, so that every astrophysical problem represents a special case to be studied independently. Hence, magnetic fields are often an inconvenient subject which is overlooked or simply neglected (the elephant in the room, as they are dubbed in poster of the school). Such difficulty burdens the research on magnetic fields, which has evolved to become a very technical subject, with many small disconnected communities studying specific aspects and details. The school tried to amend the situation by providing a unifying view of the subject. The students had a chance to understand the behavior of magnetic fields in all astrophysical contexts, from cosmology to the Sun, and from starbursts to AGNs. The school was planed to present a balanced yet complete review of our knowledge, with excursions into the unknown to point out present and future lines of research. The subject of Cosmic Magnetic Fields was split into seven different topics: cosmic magnetic field essentials, solar magnetic fields, stellar magnetic fields, the role of magnetic fields on AGN feedback, magnetic fields in galaxies, magnetic fields in galaxy clusters and at larger scales, and primordial magnetic fields and magnetic fields in the early Universe. The corresponding lectures were delivered by seven well known and experienced scientists that have played key roles in the major advances of the field during the last years: F. Cattaneo, P. Judge, O. Kochukhov, R. Keppens, R. Beck, K. Dolag, and F. Finelli. Their lectures were recorded and are freely available at the IAC website: http://iactalks.iac.es/talks/serie/19.

The Strongest Magnetic Field in Sunspots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, J.; Sakurai, T.

2017-12-01

Sunspots are concentrations of magnetic fields on the solar surface. Generally, the strongest magnetic field in each sunspot is located in the dark umbra in most cases. A typical field strength in sunspots is around 3,000 G. On the other hand, some exceptions also have been found in complex sunspots with bright regions such as light bridges that separate opposite polarity umbrae, for instance with a strength of 4,300 G. However, the formation mechanism of such strong fields outside umbrae is still puzzling. Here we report an extremely strong magnetic field in a sunspot, which was located in a bright region sandwiched by two opposite-polarity umbrae. The strength is 6,250 G, which is the largest ever observed since the discovery of magnetic field on the Sun in 1908 by Hale. We obtained 31 scanned maps of the active region observed by Hinode/SOT/SP with a cadence of 3 hours over 5 days (February 1-6, 2014). Considering the spatial and temporal evolution of the vector magnetic field and the Doppler velocity in the bright region, we suggested that this strong field region was generated as a result of compression of one umbra pushed by the outward flow from the other umbra (Evershed flow), like the subduction of the Earth's crust in plate tectonics.

Observation of the chiral magnetic effect in ZrTe₅

DOE PAGES

Li, Qiang; Kharzeev, Dmitri E.; Zhang, Cheng; ...

2015-02-08

The chiral magnetic effect is the generation of electric current induced by chirality imbalance in the presence of magnetic field. It is a macroscopic manifestation of the quantum anomaly in relativistic field theory of chiral fermions (massless spin 1/2 particles with a definite projection of spin on momentum) – a dramatic phenomenon arising from a collective motion of particles and antiparticles in the Dirac sea. The recent discovery of Dirac semimetals with chiral quasi-particles opens a fascinating possibility to study this phenomenon in condensed matter experiments. Here we report on the first observation of chiral magnetic effect through the measurementmore » of magneto-transport in zirconium pentatelluride, ZrTe₅. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments show that this material’s electronic structure is consistent with a 3D Dirac semimetal. We observe a large negative magnetoresistance when magnetic field is parallel with the current. The measured quadratic field dependence of the magnetoconductance is a clear indication of the chiral magnetic effect. Furthermore, the observed phenomenon stems from the effective transmutation of Dirac semimetal into a Weyl semimetal induced by the parallel electric and magnetic fields that represent a topologically nontrivial gauge field background.« less

Diffusion of magnetic field via turbulent reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos de Lima, Reinaldo; Lazarian, Alexander; de Gouveia Dal Pino, Elisabete M.; Cho, Jungyeon

2010-05-01

The diffusion of astrophysical magnetic fields in conducting fluids in the presence of turbulence depends on whether magnetic fields can change their topology via reconnection in highly conducting media. Recent progress in understanding fast magnetic reconnection in the presence of turbulence is reassuring that the magnetic field behavior in computer simulations and turbulent astrophysical environments is similar, as far as magnetic reconnection is concerned. This makes it meaningful to perform MHD simulations of turbulent flows in order to understand the diffusion of magnetic field in astrophysical environments. Our studies of magnetic field diffusion in turbulent medium reveal interesting new phenomena. First of all, our 3D MHD simulations initiated with anti-correlating magnetic field and gaseous density exhibit at later times a de-correlation of the magnetic field and density, which corresponds well to the observations of the interstellar media. While earlier studies stressed the role of either ambipolar diffusion or time-dependent turbulent fluctuations for de-correlating magnetic field and density, we get the effect of permanent de-correlation with one fluid code, i.e. without invoking ambipolar diffusion. In addition, in the presence of gravity and turbulence, our 3D simulations show the decrease of the magnetic flux-to-mass ratio as the gaseous density at the center of the gravitational potential increases. We observe this effect both in the situations when we start with equilibrium distributions of gas and magnetic field and when we follow the evolution of collapsing dynamically unstable configurations. Thus the process of turbulent magnetic field removal should be applicable both to quasi-static subcritical molecular clouds and cores and violently collapsing supercritical entities. The increase of the gravitational potential as well as the magnetization of the gas increases the segregation of the mass and magnetic flux in the saturated final state of the

Magnetic Fields of Extrasolar Planets: Planetary Interiors and Habitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazio, T. Joseph

2018-06-01

Ground-based observations showed that Jupiter's radio emission is linked to its planetary-scale magnetic field, and subsequent spacecraft observations have shown that most planets, and some moons, have or had a global magnetic field. Generated by internal dynamos, magnetic fields are one of the few remote sensing means of constraining the properties of planetary interiors. For the Earth, its magnetic field has been speculated to be partially responsible for its habitability, and knowledge of an extrasolar planet's magnetic field may be necessary to assess its habitability. The radio emission from Jupiter and other solar system planets is produced by an electron cyclotron maser, and detections of extrasolar planetary electron cyclotron masers will enable measurements of extrasolar planetary magnetic fields. Based on experience from the solar system, such observations will almost certainly require space-based observations, but they will also be guided by on-going and near-future ground-based observations.This work has benefited from the discussion and participants of the W. M. Keck Institute of Space Studies "Planetary Magnetic Fields: Planetary Interiors and Habitability" and content within a white paper submitted to the National Academy of Science Committee on Exoplanet Science Strategy. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The magnetic fields of hot subdwarf stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landstreet, J. D.; Bagnulo, S.; Fossati, L.; Jordan, S.; O'Toole, S. J.

2012-05-01

Context. Detection of magnetic fields has been reported in several sdO and sdB stars. Recent literature has cast doubts on the reliability of most of these detections. The situation concerning the occurrence and frequency of magnetic fields in hot subdwarfs is at best confused. Aims: We revisit data previously published in the literature, and we present new observations to clarify the question of how common magnetic fields are in subdwarf stars. Methods: We consider a sample of about 40 hot subdwarf stars. About 30 of them have been observed with the FORS1 and FORS2 instruments of the ESO VLT. Results have been published for only about half of the hot subdwarfs observed with FORS. Here we present new FORS1 field measurements for 17 stars, 14 of which have never been observed for magnetic fields before. We also critically review the measurements already published in the literature, and in particular we try to explain why previous papers based on the same FORS1 data have reported contradictory results. Results: All new and re-reduced measurements obtained with FORS1 are shown to be consistent with non-detection of magnetic fields. We explain previous spurious field detections from data obtained with FORS1 as due to a non-optimal method of wavelength calibration. Field detections in other surveys are found to be uncertain or doubtful, and certainly in need of confirmation. Conclusions: There is presently no strong evidence for the occurrence of a magnetic field in any sdB or sdO star, with typical longitudinal field uncertainties of the order of 2-400 G. It appears that globally simple fields of more than about 1 or 2 kG in strength occur in at most a few percent of hot subdwarfs. Further high-precision surveys, both with high-resolution spectropolarimeters and with instruments similar to FORS1 on large telescopes, would be very valuable. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile under

Granular cells in the presence of magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurčák, J.; Lemmerer, B.; van Noort, M.

2017-10-01

We present a statistical study of the dependencies of the shapes and sizes of the photospheric convective cells on the magnetic field properties. This analysis is based on a 2.5 hour long SST observations of active region NOAA 11768. We have blue continuum images taken with a cadence of 5.6 sec that are used for segmentation of individual granules and 270 maps of spectropolarimetric CRISP data allowing us to determine the properties of the magnetic field along with the line-of-sight velocities. The sizes and shapes of the granular cells are dependent on the the magnetic field strength, where the granules tend to be smaller in regions with stronger magnetic field. In the presence of highly inclined magnetic fields, the eccentricity of granules is high and we do not observe symmetric granules in these regions. The mean up-flow velocities in granules as well as the granules intensities decrease with increasing magnetic field strength.

Observations of flux motion in niobium films. [study of magnetic field trapped in superconducting coatings of gyroscope rotor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xiao, Y. M.; Keiser, G. M.

1991-01-01

A magnetic field trapped in a superconducting sphere was examined at temperatures from 4.6 K to 5.5 K. The sphere was the rotor of a precision gyroscope and was made of fused quartz and coated with a sputtered niobium film. The rotor diameter was 3.8 cm. The film thickness was 2.5 microns. The tests were carried out at an ambient magnetic field of about 1 mG. Unexpected instability of the trapped field was observed. The experimental results and possible explanations are presented.

The large-scale magnetic field in the solar wind. [astronomical models of interplanetary magnetics and the solar magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.

1976-01-01

A literature review is presented of theoretical models of the interaction of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic fields. Observations of interplanetary magnetic fields by the IMP and OSO spacecraft are discussed. The causes for cosmic ray variations (Forbush decreases) by the solar wind are examined. The model of Parker is emphasized. This model shows the three dimensional magnetic field lines of the solar wind to have the form of spirals wrapped on cones. It is concluded that an out-of-the-ecliptic solar probe mission would allow the testing and verification of the various theoretical models examined. Diagrams of the various models are shown.

Monolayer phosphorene under time-dependent magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nascimento, J. P. G.; Aguiar, V.; Guedes, I.

2018-02-01

We obtain the exact wave function of a monolayer phosphorene under a low-intensity time-dependent magnetic field using the dynamical invariant method. We calculate the quantum-mechanical energy expectation value and the transition probability for a constant and an oscillatory magnetic field. For the former we observe that the Landau level energy varies linearly with the quantum numbers n and m and the magnetic field intensity B0. No transition takes place. For the latter, we observe that the energy oscillates in time, increasing linearly with the Landau level n and m and nonlinearly with the magnetic field. The (k , l) →(n , m) transitions take place only for l = m. We investigate the (0,0) →(n , 0) and (1 , l) and (2 , l) probability transitions.

Direct observation of turbulent magnetic fields in hot, dense laser produced plasmas

PubMed Central

Mondal, Sudipta; Narayanan, V.; Ding, Wen Jun; Lad, Amit D.; Hao, Biao; Ahmad, Saima; Wang, Wei Min; Sheng, Zheng Ming; Sengupta, Sudip; Kaw, Predhiman; Das, Amita; Kumar, G. Ravindra

2012-01-01

Turbulence in fluids is a ubiquitous, fascinating, and complex natural phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. Unraveling turbulence in high density, high temperature plasmas is an even bigger challenge because of the importance of electromagnetic forces and the typically violent environments. Fascinating and novel behavior of hot dense matter has so far been only indirectly inferred because of the enormous difficulties of making observations on such matter. Here, we present direct evidence of turbulence in giant magnetic fields created in an overdense, hot plasma by relativistic intensity (1018W/cm2) femtosecond laser pulses. We have obtained magneto-optic polarigrams at femtosecond time intervals, simultaneously with micrometer spatial resolution. The spatial profiles of the magnetic field show randomness and their k spectra exhibit a power law along with certain well defined peaks at scales shorter than skin depth. Detailed two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations delineate the underlying interaction between forward currents of relativistic energy “hot” electrons created by the laser pulse and “cold” return currents of thermal electrons induced in the target. Our results are not only fundamentally interesting but should also arouse interest on the role of magnetic turbulence induced resistivity in the context of fast ignition of laser fusion, and the possibility of experimentally simulating such structures with respect to the sun and other stellar environments. PMID:22566660

Direct observation of turbulent magnetic fields in hot, dense laser produced plasmas.

PubMed

Mondal, Sudipta; Narayanan, V; Ding, Wen Jun; Lad, Amit D; Hao, Biao; Ahmad, Saima; Wang, Wei Min; Sheng, Zheng Ming; Sengupta, Sudip; Kaw, Predhiman; Das, Amita; Kumar, G Ravindra

2012-05-22

Turbulence in fluids is a ubiquitous, fascinating, and complex natural phenomenon that is not yet fully understood. Unraveling turbulence in high density, high temperature plasmas is an even bigger challenge because of the importance of electromagnetic forces and the typically violent environments. Fascinating and novel behavior of hot dense matter has so far been only indirectly inferred because of the enormous difficulties of making observations on such matter. Here, we present direct evidence of turbulence in giant magnetic fields created in an overdense, hot plasma by relativistic intensity (10(18) W/cm(2)) femtosecond laser pulses. We have obtained magneto-optic polarigrams at femtosecond time intervals, simultaneously with micrometer spatial resolution. The spatial profiles of the magnetic field show randomness and their k spectra exhibit a power law along with certain well defined peaks at scales shorter than skin depth. Detailed two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations delineate the underlying interaction between forward currents of relativistic energy "hot" electrons created by the laser pulse and "cold" return currents of thermal electrons induced in the target. Our results are not only fundamentally interesting but should also arouse interest on the role of magnetic turbulence induced resistivity in the context of fast ignition of laser fusion, and the possibility of experimentally simulating such structures with respect to the sun and other stellar environments.

Fluorescent lamp with static magnetic field generating means

DOEpatents

Moskowitz, Philip E.; Maya, Jakob

1987-01-01

A fluorescent lamp wherein magnetic field generating means (e.g., permanent magnets) are utilized to generate a static magnetic field across the respective electrode structures of the lamp such that maximum field strength is located at the electrode's filament. An increase in efficacy during operation has been observed.

Magnetic white dwarfs: Observations, theory and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Berro, Enrique; Kilic, Mukremin; Kepler, Souza Oliveira

2016-01-01

Isolated magnetic white dwarfs have field strengths ranging from 103G to 109G, and constitute an interesting class of objects. The origin of the magnetic field is still the subject of a hot debate. Whether these fields are fossil, hence the remnants of original weak magnetic fields amplified during the course of the evolution of the progenitor of white dwarfs, or on the contrary, are the result of binary interactions or, finally, other physical mechanisms that could produce such large magnetic fields during the evolution of the white dwarf itself, remains to be elucidated. In this work, we review the current status and paradigms of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, from both the theoretical and observational points of view.

Electric Field Feature of Moving Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, You Jun

2001-05-01

A new fundamental relationship of electric field with magnetic field has been inferred from the fundamental experimental laws and theories of classical electromagnetics. It can be described as moving magnetic field has or gives electric feature. When a field with magnetic induction of B moves in the velocity of V, it will show electric field character, the electric field intensity E is E = B x V and the direction of E is in the direction of the vector B x V. It is improper to use the time-varying electromagnetics theories as the fundamental theory of the electromagnetics and group the electromagnetic field into static kind and time-varying kind for the static is relative to motional not only time-varying. The relationship of time variation of magnetic field induction or magnetic flux with electric field caused by magnetic field is fellowship not causality. Thus time-varying magnetic field can cause electric field is not a nature principle. Sometime the time variation of magnetic flux is equal to the negative electromotive force or the time variation of magnetic field induction is equal to the negative curl of electric field caused by magnetic field motion, but not always. And not all motion of magnetic field can cause time variation of magnetic field. Therefore Faraday-Lenz`s law can only be used as mathematics tool to calculate the quantity relation of the electricity with the magnetism in some case like the magnetic field moving in uniform medium. Faraday-Lenz`s law is unsuitable to be used in moving uniform magnetic field or there is magnetic shield. Key word: Motional magnetic field, Magnetic induction, Electric field intensity, Velocity, Faraday-Lenz’s law

An active role for magnetic fields in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, D. M.

1976-01-01

Observations of photospheric magnetic fields are reviewed to determine whether changes in such fields can be related to flare activity, assuming that magnetic fields play an active role in providing flare energy. An intimate relation between emerging fields and bright flare knots is noted, and it is shown that the activation and eruption of an H-alpha filament is indicative of a major disruption of a magnetic field just prior to a flare. Observations of twisting motions in a filament just before a flare are discussed, erupting untwisting filaments are taken as unambiguous evidence for restructuring of the magnetic fields associated with flares, and it is argued that magnetic-field changes in the midst of most flares are obvious. It is concluded that successive brightenings in a family of loops may be evidence for the spread of a magnetic-field reconnection point from one field concentration to another and that flares may well take place in regions of field-line reconnection. This latter conclusion is illustrated using an empirical flare model that involves field-line reconnection, filament activation, and emerging magnetic flux.

Magnetic field, reconnection, and particle acceleration in extragalactic jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romanova, M. M.; Lovelace, R. V. E.

1992-01-01

Extra-galactic radio jets are investigated theoretically taking into account that the jet magnetic field is dragged out from the central rotating source by the jet flow. Thus, magnetohydrodynamic models of jets are considered with zero net poloidal current and flux, and consequently a predominantly toroidal magnetic field. The magnetic field naturally has a cylindrical neutral layer. Collisionless reconnection of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the neutral layer acts to generate a non-axisymmetric radial magnetic field. In turn, axial shear-stretching of reconnected toroidal field gives rise to a significant axial magnetic field if the flow energy-density is larger than the energy-density of the magnetic field. This can lead to jets with an apparent longitudinal magnetic field as observed in the Fanaroff-Riley class II jets. In the opposite limit, where the field energy-density is large, the field remains mainly toroidal as observed in Fanaroff-Riley class I jets. Driven collisionless reconnection at neutral layers may lead to acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies in the weak electrostatic field of the neutral layer. A simple model is discussed for particle acceleration at neutral layers in electron/positron and electron/proton plasmas.

Seminal magnetic fields from inflato-electromagnetic inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Membiela, Federico Agustín; Bellini, Mauricio

2012-10-01

We extend some previous attempts to explain the origin and evolution of primordial magnetic fields during inflation induced from a 5D vacuum. We show that the usual quantum fluctuations of a generalized 5D electromagnetic field cannot provide us with the desired magnetic seeds. We show that special fields without propagation on the extra non-compact dimension are needed to arrive at appreciable magnetic strengths. We also identify a new magnetic tensor field B ij in this kind of extra dimensional theory. Our results are in very good agreement with observational requirements, in particular from TeV blazars and CMB radiation limits we see that primordial cosmological magnetic fields should be close to scale invariance.

Mercury's magnetic field - A thermoelectric dynamo?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevenson, D. J.

1987-01-01

Permanent magnetism and conventional dynamo theory are possible but problematic explanations for the magnitude of the Mercurian magnetic field. A new model is proposed in which thermoelectric currents driven by temperature differences at a bumpy core-mantle boundary are responsible for the (unobserved) toroidal field, and the helicity of convective motions in a thin outer core (thickness of about 100 km) induces the observed poloidal field from the toroidal field. The observed field of about 3 x 10 to the -7th T can be reproduced provided the electrical conductivity of Mercury's semiconducting mantle approaches 1000/ohm per m. This model may be testable by future missions to Mercury because it predicts a more complicated field geometry than conventional dynamo theories. However, it is argued that polar wander may cause the core-mantle topography to migrate so that some aspects of the rotational symmetry may be reflected in the observed field.

Measuring the Large-scale Solar Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoeksema, J. T.; Scherrer, P. H.; Peterson, E.; Svalgaard, L.

2017-12-01

The Sun's large-scale magnetic field is important for determining global structure of the corona and for quantifying the evolution of the polar field, which is sometimes used for predicting the strength of the next solar cycle. Having confidence in the determination of the large-scale magnetic field of the Sun is difficult because the field is often near the detection limit, various observing methods all measure something a little different, and various systematic effects can be very important. We compare resolved and unresolved observations of the large-scale magnetic field from the Wilcox Solar Observatory, Heliseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), and Solis. Cross comparison does not enable us to establish an absolute calibration, but it does allow us to discover and compensate for instrument problems, such as the sensitivity decrease seen in the WSO measurements in late 2016 and early 2017.

The origin, evolution and signatures of primordial magnetic fields.

PubMed

Subramanian, Kandaswamy

2016-07-01

The universe is magnetized on all scales probed so far. On the largest scales, galaxies and galaxy clusters host magnetic fields at the micro Gauss level coherent on scales up to ten kpc. Recent observational evidence suggests that even the intergalactic medium in voids could host a weak  ∼  10(-16) Gauss magnetic field, coherent on Mpc scales. An intriguing possibility is that these observed magnetic fields are a relic from the early universe, albeit one which has been subsequently amplified and maintained by a dynamo in collapsed objects. We review here the origin, evolution and signatures of primordial magnetic fields. After a brief summary of magnetohydrodynamics in the expanding universe, we turn to magnetic field generation during inflation and phase transitions. We trace the linear and nonlinear evolution of the generated primordial fields through the radiation era, including viscous effects. Sensitive observational signatures of primordial magnetic fields on the cosmic microwave background, including current constraints from Planck, are discussed. After recombination, primordial magnetic fields could strongly influence structure formation, especially on dwarf galaxy scales. The resulting signatures on reionization, the redshifted 21 cm line, weak lensing and the Lyman-α forest are outlined. Constraints from radio and γ-ray astronomy are summarized. Astrophysical batteries and the role of dynamos in reshaping the primordial field are briefly considered. The review ends with some final thoughts on primordial magnetic fields.

Magnetic field in the NGC7023 photodissociation region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Marta

2015-10-01

The far-UV radiation of massive stars illuminates molecular clouds creating photodissociation regions (PDRs), the transition layers between atomic and molecular media. Recent results based on Herschel observations reveal the presence of small regions at high gas pressure in the PDRs, whose origin is still not well understood, while polarization measurements towards a few PDRs indicate that magnetic fields can play a significant role in their structure. The limited number of existing polarization observations suggest that, when subject to a high gas and radiation pressure from the stars, the magnetic field tends to align and to be compressed in the PDR. As a consequence, bright PDRs should be magnetically dominated. However, this possibility has been the subject of very few studies due to the sparsity of relevant data. We propose to map the magnetic field in a nearby bright PDR, NGC 7023, using the unique capabilities of HAWC+ onboard SOFIA. For one, we wish to test the hypothesis that the magnetic field should be parallel to this PDR, which is illuminated by a radiation field of 2600 (in Habing units). Secondly, since NGC 7023 is a well studied region, its physical conditions (density, temperature) are known and can thus be related to the magnetic field across the PDR. We can investigate the relation between the field structure and the geometry of the PDR, and aided by Herschel observations we can also explore a possible connection between the magnetic field and the existence of high density regions in the PDR. SOFIA HAWC+ is the only instrument capable of imaging the polarized emission of extended objects, with structure at arcsecond scales. Moreover, it allows us trace the magnetic field within the PDR, owing to its 63micron band that traces the warm (40K) dust present at the illuminated surface. Our observations will be complementary to those led by the instrument team, who will observe NGC 7023 using the three highest wavelength filters.

Magnetic fields in central stars of planetary nebulae?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, S.; Bagnulo, S.; Werner, K.; O'Toole, S. J.

2012-06-01

Context. Most planetary nebulae have bipolar or other non-spherically symmetric shapes. Magnetic fields in the central star may be responsible for this lack of symmetry, but observational studies published to date have reported contradictory results. Aims: We search for correlations between a magnetic field and departures from the spherical geometry of the envelopes of planetary nebulae. Methods: We determine the magnetic fields from spectropolarimetric observations of ten central stars of planetary nebulae. The results of the analysis of the observations of four stars were previously presented and discussed in the literature, while the observations of six stars, plus additional measurements of a star previously observed, are presented here for the first time. Results: All our determinations of magnetic field in the central planetary nebulae are consistent with null results. Our field measurements have a typical error bar of 150-300 G. Previous spurious field detections using data acquired with FORS1 (FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph) of the Unit Telescope 1 (UT1) of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) were probably due to the use of different wavelength calibration solutions for frames obtained at different position angles of the retarder waveplate. Conclusions: There is currently no observational evidence of magnetic fields with a strength of the order of hundreds Gauss or higher in the central stars of planetary nebulae. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, under programme ID 072.D-0089 (PI = Jordan) and 075.D-0289 (PI = Jordan).

Fluorescent lamp with static magnetic field generating means

DOEpatents

Moskowitz, P.E.; Maya, J.

1987-09-08

A fluorescent lamp wherein magnetic field generating means (e.g., permanent magnets) are utilized to generate a static magnetic field across the respective electrode structures of the lamp such that maximum field strength is located at the electrode's filament. An increase in efficacy during operation has been observed. 2 figs.

Four Years of Venus Express Magnetic Field Observations: Variable Bow Shock Location and Other Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tielong; Baumjohann, Wolfgang; Russell, C. T.

Since the Venus Express insertion into a highly elliptical polar orbit with a period of 24 h around the planet Venus, the magnetometer has operated continuously for about 4 years and obtained a wealth of data in the solar minimum at rather low altitude, which was not reached by earlier missions. In this paper, we review the magnetic field observations by Venus Express emphasizing on the variable bow shock location and other space environment features such as the magnetic barrier and the magnetotail.

Magnetic Turbulence, Fast Magnetic Field line Diffusion and Small Magnetic Structures in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimbardo, G.; Pommois, P.; Veltri, P.

2003-09-01

The influence of magnetic turbulence on magnetic field line diffusion has been known since the early days of space and plasma physics. However, the importance of ``stochastic diffusion'' for energetic particles has been challenged on the basis of the fact that sharp gradients of either energetic particles or ion composition are often observed in the solar wind. Here we show that fast transverse field line and particle diffusion can coexist with small magnetic structures, sharp gradients, and with long lived magnetic flux tubes. We show, by means of a numerical realization of three dimensional magnetic turbulence and by use of the concepts of deterministic chaos and turbulent transport, that turbulent diffusion is different from Gaussian diffusion, and that transport can be inhomogeneous even if turbulence homogeneously fills the heliosphere. Several diagnostics of field line transport and flux tube evolution are shown, and the size of small magnetic structures in the solar wind, like gradient scales and flux tube thickness, are estimated and compared to the observations.

New Magnetic Field Model for Saturn From Cassini Radio and Magnetometers Observations: The Birotor Dipole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galopeau, P. H. M.

2017-12-01

Since the insertion of Cassini in the Saturnian system in July 2004, the radio and plasma wave science (RPWS) experiment on board the spacecraft revealed the presence of two distinct and variable rotation periods in the Saturnian kilometric radiation (SKR) which were attributed to the northern and southern hemispheres respectively. The present study is based on the hypothesis that the periodic time modulations present in the SKR are mainly due to the rotation of Saturn's inner magnetic field. The existence of a double period implies that the inner field is not only limited to a simple rotation dipole but displays more complex structures having the same time periodicities than the radio emission. In order to build a model of this complex magnetic field, it is absolutely necessary to know the accurate phases of rotation linked with the two periods. The radio observations from the RPWS experiment allow a continuous and accurate follow-up of these rotation phases, since the SKR emission is permanently observable and produced very close to the planetary surface. A continuous wavelet transform analysis of the intensity of the SKR signal received at 290 kHz between July 2004 and June 2012 was performed in order to calculate in the same time the different periodicities and phases. The rotation phases associated to the main two periods allow us to define a North and South longitude system essential for such a study. In this context, a dipole model ("birotor dipole") was proposed for Saturn's inner magnetic field: this dipole presents the particularity to have North and South poles rotating around Saturn's axis at two different angular velocities; this dipole is tilted and not centered. 57 Cassini's revolutions, the periapsis of which is less than 5 Saturnian radii, have been selected for this study. For each of these chosen orbits, it is possible to fit with high precision the measurements of the MAG data experiment given by the magnetometers embarked on board Cassini. A

Diagnostics of vector magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenflo, J. O.

1985-01-01

It is shown that the vector magnetic fields derived from observations with a filter magnetograph will be severely distorted if the spatially unresolved magnetic structure is not properly accounted for. Thus the apparent vector field will appear much more horizontal than it really is, but this distortion is strongly dependent on the area factor and the temperature line weakenings. As the available fluxtube models are not sufficiently well determined, it is not possible to correct the filter magnetograph observations for these effects in a reliable way, although a crude correction is of course much better than no correction at all. The solution to this diagnostic problem is to observe simultaneously in suitable combinations of spectral lines, and/or use Stokes line profiles recorded with very high spectral resolution. The diagnostic power of using a Fourier transform spectrometer for polarimetry is shown and some results from I and V spectra are illustrated. The line asymmetries caused by mass motions inside the fluxtubes adds an extra complication to the diagnostic problem, in particular as there are indications that the motions are nonstationary in nature. The temperature structure appears to be a function of fluxtube diameter, as a clear difference between plage and network fluxtubes was revealed. The divergence of the magnetic field with height plays an essential role in the explanation of the Stokes V asymmetries (in combination with the mass motions). A self consistent treatment of the subarcsec field geometry may be required to allow an accurate derivation of the spatially averaged vector magnetic field from spectrally resolved data.

Kinetic-Scale Electric and Magnetic Field Fluctuations in the Solar Wind at 1 AU: THEMIS/ARTEMIS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, C. S.; Hanson, E.; Bonnell, J. W.; Chaston, C. C.; Bale, S. D.; Mozer, F.

2017-12-01

We present here an analysis of kinetic-scale electromagnetic fluctuations in the solar wind using data from THEMIS and ARTEMIS spacecraft. We use high-time resolution electric and magnetic field measurements, as well as density fluctuations, up to 128 samples per second, as well as particle burst plasma data during carefully selected solar wind intervals. We focus our analysis on a few such intervals spanning different values of plasma beta and angles between the local magnetic field and the radial Sun-Earth direction. We discuss the careful analysis process of characterizing and removing the different instrumental effects and noise sources affecting the electric and magnetic field data at those scales, above 0.1 Hz or so, above the breakpoint marking the start of the so-called dissipation range of solar wind turbulence. We compute parameters such as the electric to magnetic field ratio, the magnetic compressibility, magnetic helicity, and other relevant quantities in order to diagnose the nature of the fluctuations at those scales between the ion and electron cyclotron frequencies, extracting information on the dominant modes composing the fluctuations. We also discuss the presence and role of coherent structures in the measured fluctuations. The nature of the fluctuations in the dissipation or dispersive scales of solar wind turbulence is still debated. This observational study is also highly relevant to the current Turbulent Dissipation Challenge.

Effect of sample initial magnetic field on the metal magnetic memory NDT result

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moonesan, Mahdi; Kashefi, Mehrdad

2018-08-01

One of the major concerns regarding the use of Metal Magnetic Memory (MMM) technique is the complexity of residual magnetization effect on output signals. The present study investigates the influence of residual magnetic field on stress induced magnetization. To this end, various initial magnetic fields were induced on a low carbon steel sample, and for each level of residual magnetic field, the sample was subjected to a set of 4-point bending tests and, their corresponding MMM signals were collected from the surface of the bended sample using a tailored metal magnetic memory scanning device. Results showed a strong correlation between sample residual magnetic field and its corresponding level of stress induced magnetic field. It was observed that the sample magnetic field increases with applying the bending stress as long as the initial residual magnet field is low (i.e. <117 mG), but starts decreasing with higher levels of initial residual magnetic fields. Besides, effect of bending stress on the MMM output of a notched sample was investigated. The result, again, showed that MMM signals exhibit a drop at stress concentration zone when sample has high level of initial residual magnetic field.

Understanding lunar magnetic field through magnetization and dynamo mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, K. H.; Kuang, W.

2016-12-01

It has been known that the Moon does not have an active global magnetic field. But past missions to the Moon (e.g. Apollo missions, Lunar Prospector) have detected magnetic anomalies in many areas on the lunar surface. They carry rich information about geophysical processes on and within the Moon, thus central for understanding the structure and dynamics in the interior, e.g. the core and the suggested magma ocean. One unsettling problem for understanding the lunar magnetic anomaly is its origin. There have been several mechanisms suggested in the past, either on the anomalies in specific regions, or only at the conceptual stage. The latter include the paleo dynamo. The lunar dynamo mechanism is conceptually very simple: lunar crustal magnetization was acquired in an internal magnetic field that was generated and maintained by dynamo action in the lunar core. Could this simple mechanism suffice to explain most of the observed lunar magnetic anomalies? We present our theoretical calculations of possible paleo-lunar magnetic field strengths based on paleomagnetic measurements of Apollo samples.

Observational Signatures of Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savage, Sabrina

2014-01-01

Magnetic reconnection is often referred to as the primary source of energy release during solar flares. Directly observing reconnection occurring in the solar atmosphere, however, is not trivial considering that the scale size of the diffusion region is magnitudes smaller than the observational capabilities of current instrumentation, and coronal magnetic field measurements are not currently sufficient to capture the process. Therefore, predicting and studying observationally feasible signatures of the precursors and consequences of reconnection is necessary for guiding and verifying the simulations that dominate our understanding. I will present a set of such observations, particularly in connection with long-duration solar events, and compare them with recent simulations and theoretical predictions.

Large-scale properties of the interplanetary magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schatten, K. H.

1972-01-01

Early theoretical work of Parker is presented along with the observational evidence supporting his Archimedes spiral model. Variations present in the interplanetary magnetic field from the spiral angle are related to structures in the solar wind. The causes of these structures are found to be either nonuniform radial solar wind flow or the time evolution of the photospheric field. Coronal magnetic models are related to the connection between the solar magnetic field and the interplanetary magnetic field. Direct extension of the solar field-magnetic nozzle controversy is discussed along with the coronal magnetic models. Effects of active regions on the interplanetary magnetic field is discussed with particular reference to the evolution of interplanetary sectors. Interplanetary magnetic field magnitude variations are shown throughout the solar cycle. The percentage of time the field magnitude is greater than 10 gamma is shown to closely parallel sunspot number. The sun's polar field influence on the interplanetary field and alternative views of the magnetic field structure out of the ecliptic plane are presented. In addition, a variety of significantly different interplanetary field structures are discussed.

Reconnection at the earth's magnetopause - Magnetic field observations and flux transfer events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, C. T.

1984-01-01

Theoretical models of plasma acceleration by magnetic-field-line reconnection at the earth magnetopause and the high-resolution three-dimensional plasma measurements obtained with the ISEE satellites are compared and illustrated with diagrams, graphs, drawings, and histograms. The history of reconnection theory and the results of early satellite observations are summarized; the thickness of the magnetopause current layer is discussed; problems in analyzing the polarization of current-layer rotation are considered; and the flux-transfer events responsible for periods of patchy reconnection are characterized in detail. The need for further observations and refinements of the theory to explain the initiation of reconnection and identify the mechanism determining whether it is patchy or steady-state is indicated.

Constraining Large-Scale Solar Magnetic Field Models with Optical Coronal Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uritsky, V. M.; Davila, J. M.; Jones, S. I.

2015-12-01

Scientific success of the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) and Solar Orbiter (SO) missions will depend to a large extent on the accuracy of the available coronal magnetic field models describing the connectivity of plasma disturbances in the inner heliosphere with their source regions. We argue that ground based and satellite coronagraph images can provide robust geometric constraints for the next generation of improved coronal magnetic field extrapolation models. In contrast to the previously proposed loop segmentation codes designed for detecting compact closed-field structures above solar active regions, we focus on the large-scale geometry of the open-field coronal regions located at significant radial distances from the solar surface. Details on the new feature detection algorithms will be presented. By applying the developed image processing methodology to high-resolution Mauna Loa Solar Observatory images, we perform an optimized 3D B-line tracing for a full Carrington rotation using the magnetic field extrapolation code presented in a companion talk by S.Jones at al. Tracing results are shown to be in a good qualitative agreement with the large-scalie configuration of the optical corona. Subsequent phases of the project and the related data products for SSP and SO missions as wwll as the supporting global heliospheric simulations will be discussed.

The magnetic field configuration of a solar prominence inferred from spectropolarimetric observations in the He i 10 830 Å triplet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orozco Suárez, D.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Trujillo Bueno, J.

2014-06-01

Context. Determining the magnetic field vector in quiescent solar prominences is possible by interpreting the Hanle and Zeeman effects in spectral lines. However, observational measurements are scarce and lack high spatial resolution. Aims: We determine the magnetic field vector configuration along a quiescent solar prominence by interpreting spectropolarimetric measurements in the He i 1083.0 nm triplet obtained with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter installed at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope of the Observatorio del Teide. Methods: The He i 1083.0 nm triplet Stokes profiles were analyzed with an inversion code that takes the physics responsible for the polarization signals in this triplet into account. The results are put into a solar context with the help of extreme ultraviolet observations taken with the Solar Dynamic Observatory and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory satellites. Results: For the most probable magnetic field vector configuration, the analysis depicts a mean field strength of 7 gauss. We do not find local variations in the field strength except that the field is, on average, lower in the prominence body than in the prominence feet, where the field strength reaches ~25 gauss. The averaged magnetic field inclination with respect to the local vertical is ~77°. The acute angle of the magnetic field vector with the prominence main axis is 24° for the sinistral chirality case and 58° for the dextral chirality. These inferences are in rough agreement with previous results obtained from the analysis of data acquired with lower spatial resolutions. A movie is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Manipulating Cells with Static Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valles, J. M.; Guevorkian, K.

2005-07-01

We review our investigations of the use of static magnetic fields, B, for manipulating cells and cellular processes. We describe how B fields modify the cell division pattern of frog embryos and consequently can be used to probe the pattern determinants. We also observe that magnetic fields modify the swimming behavior of Paramecium Caudatum. We describe these modifications and their potential application to investigations of their swimming behavior.

Estimation of a coronal mass ejection magnetic field strength using radio observations of gyrosynchrotron radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carley, Eoin P.; Vilmer, Nicole; Simões, Paulo J. A.; Ó Fearraigh, Brían

2017-12-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large eruptions of plasma and magnetic field from the low solar corona into interplanetary space. These eruptions are often associated with the acceleration of energetic electrons which produce various sources of high intensity plasma emission. In relatively rare cases, the energetic electrons may also produce gyrosynchrotron emission from within the CME itself, allowing for a diagnostic of the CME magnetic field strength. Such a magnetic field diagnostic is important for evaluating the total magnetic energy content of the CME, which is ultimately what drives the eruption. Here, we report on an unusually large source of gyrosynchrotron radiation in the form of a type IV radio burst associated with a CME occurring on 2014-September-01, observed using instrumentation from the Nançay Radio Astronomy Facility. A combination of spectral flux density measurements from the Nançay instruments and the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) from 300 MHz to 5 GHz reveals a gyrosynchrotron spectrum with a peak flux density at 1 GHz. Using this radio analysis, a model for gyrosynchrotron radiation, a non-thermal electron density diagnostic using the Fermi Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and images of the eruption from the GOES Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), we were able to calculate both the magnetic field strength and the properties of the X-ray and radio emitting energetic electrons within the CME. We find the radio emission is produced by non-thermal electrons of energies >1 MeV with a spectral index of δ 3 in a CME magnetic field of 4.4 G at a height of 1.3 R⊙, while the X-ray emission is produced from a similar distribution of electrons but with much lower energies on the order of 10 keV. We conclude by comparing the electron distribution characteristics derived from both X-ray and radio and show how such an analysis can be used to define the plasma and bulk properties of a CME.

Multi-wavelength Observations and Modeling of Solar Flares: Magnetic Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Y.

2017-12-01

We present a review of our recent investigations on multi-wavelength observations and magnetic field modeling of solar flares. High-resolution observations taken by NVST and BBSO/NST reveal unprecedented fine structures of the flaring regions. Observations by SDO, IRIS, and GOES provide the complementary information. The magnetic field models are constructed using either non-linear force free field extrapolations or flux rope insertion method. Our studies have shown that the flaring regions often consist of double or multiple flux ropes, which often exist at different heights. The fine flare ribbon structures may be due to the magnetic reconnection in the complex quasi separatrix layers. The magnetic field modeling of several large flares suggests that the so called hot-channel structure is corresponding to the erupting flux rope above the X-point in a magnetic configuration with Hyperbolic Flux Tube.

Optical investigation of effective permeability of dilute magnetic dielectrics with magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Banerjee, Ananya, E-mail: banerjee.ananya2008@gmail.com; Sarkar, A.

The prime objective of this paper is to investigate the magnetic nature of dilute magnetic dielectrics (DMD) under variation of external magnetic field. The said variation is studied over developed nano-sized Gadolinium Oxide as a DMD system. The observed experimental field variation of the effective magnetic permeability is analyzed results of optical experiment. The experiment records the variation of Brewster angle of incident polarized LASER beam from the surface of developed DMD specimen with applied out of plane external magnetic field. The effective refractive index and hence relative magnetic permeability were estimated following electro-magnetic theory. The overall results obtained andmore » agreement between theory and experiment are good.« less

Observations of a Small Interplanetary Magnetic Flux Rope Opening by Interchange Reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J. M.; Feng, H. Q.; Zhao, G. Q.

2018-01-01

Interchange reconnection, specifically magnetic reconnection between open magnetic fields and closed magnetic flux ropes, plays a major role in the heliospheric magnetic flux budget. It is generally accepted that closed magnetic field lines of interplanetary magnetic flux ropes (IMFRs) can gradually open through reconnection between one of its legs and other open field lines until no closed field lines are left to contribute flux to the heliosphere. In this paper, we report an IMFR associated with a magnetic reconnection exhaust, whereby its closed field lines were opening by a magnetic reconnection event near 1 au. The reconnection exhaust and the following IMFR were observed on 2002 February 2 by both the Wind and ACE spacecraft. Observations on counterstreaming suprathermal electrons revealed that most magnetic field lines of the IMFR were closed, especially those after the front boundary of the IMFR, with both ends connected to the Sun. The unidirectional suprathermal electron strahls before the exhaust manifested the magnetic field lines observed before the exhaust was open. These observations provide direct evidence that closed field lines of IMFRs can be opened by interchange reconnection in interplanetary space. This is the first report of the closed field lines of IMFRs being opened by interchange reconnection in interplanetary space. This type of interplanetary interchange reconnection may pose important implications for balancing the heliospheric flux budget.

Magnetomigration of rare-earth ions in inhomogeneous magnetic fields.

PubMed

Franczak, Agnieszka; Binnemans, Koen; Jan Fransaer

2016-10-05

The effects of external inhomogenous (gradient) magnetic fields on the movement of the rare-earth ions: Dy 3+ , Gd 3+ and Y 3+ , in initially homogeneous aqueous solutions have been investigated. Differences in the migration of rare-earth ions in gradient magnetic fields were observed, depending on the magnetic character of the ions: paramagnetic ions of Dy 3+ and Gd 3+ move towards regions of the sample where the magnetic field gradient is the strongest, while diamagnetic ions of Y 3+ move in the opposite direction. It has been showed that the low magnetic field gradients, such the ones generated by permanent magnets, are sufficient to observe the magnetomigration effects of the ions in solution. The present work clearly establishes the behavior of magnetically different ions in initially homogeneous aqueous solutions exposed to magnetic field gradients. To this avail, a methodology for measuring the local concentration differences of metal ions in liquid samples was developed.

The magnetic field of saturn: pioneer 11 observations.

PubMed

Acuña, M H; Ness, N F

1980-01-25

The intrinsic magnetic field of Saturn measured by the high-field fluxgate magnetometer is much weaker than expected. An analysis of preliminary data combined with the preliminary trajectory yield a model for the main planetary field which is a simple centered dipole of moment 0.20 +/- 0.01 gauss-Rs(3) = 4.3 +/- 0.2 x 10(28) gauss-cm(3) (1 Rs = 1 Saturn radius = 60,000 km). The polarity is opposite that of Earth, and, surprisingly, the tilt is small, within 2 degrees +/- 1 degrees of the rotation axis. The equatorial field intensity at the cloud tops is 0.2 gauss, and the polar intensity is 0.56 gauss. The unique moon Titan is expected to be located within the magnetosheath of Saturn or the interplanetary medium about 50 percent of the time because the average subsolar point distance to the magnetosphere is estimated to be 20 Rs, the orbital distance to Titan.

Magnetic field sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Nicolas

2012-09-01

Earlier papers1-3 in this journal have described experiments on measuring the magnetic fields of current-carrying wires and permanent magnets using magnetic field probes of various kinds. This paper explains how to use an iPad and the free app MagnetMeter-3D Vector Magnetometer and Accelerometer4 (compass HD) to measure the magnetic fields.

The magnetic field of the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansson, Ronnie

The magnetic field of the Milky Way is a significant component of our Galaxy, and impacts a great variety of Galactic processes. For example, it regulates star formation, accelerates cosmic rays, transports energy and momentum, acts as a source of pressure, and obfuscates the arrival directions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). This thesis is mainly concerned with the large scale Galactic magnetic field (GMF), and the effect it has on UHECRs. In Chapter 1 we review what is known about Galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields, their origin, the different observables of the GMF, and the ancillary data that is necessary to constrain astrophysical magnetic fields. Chapter 2 introduces a method to quantify the quality-of-fit between data and observables sensitive to the large scale Galactic magnetic field. We combine WMAP5 polarized synchrotron data and rotation measures of extragalactic sources in a joint analysis to obtain best-fit parameters and confidence levels for GMF models common in the literature. None of the existing models provide a good fit in both the disk and halo regions, and in many instances best-fit parameters are quite different than the original values. We introduce a simple model of the magnetic field in the halo that provides a much improved fit to the data. We show that some characteristics of the electron densities can already be constrained using our method and with future data it may be possible to carry out a self-consistent analysis in which models of the GMF and electron densities are simultaneously optimized. Chapter 3 investigates the observed excess of UHECRs in the region of the sky close to the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A. We constrain the large-scale Galactic magnetic field and the small-scale random magnetic field in the direction of Cen A, and estimate the deflection of the observed UHECRs and predict their source positions on the sky. We find that the deflection due to random fields are small compared to deflections

{Interball-1 Plasma, Magnetic Field, and Energetic Particle Observations}

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibeck, David G.

1998-01-01

Funding from NASA was received in two installments. The first installment supported research using Russian/Czech/Slovak/French Interball-1 plasma, magnetic field, and energetic particles observations in the vicinity of the magnetopause. The second installment provided salary support to review unsolicited proposals to NASA for data recovery and archiving, and also to survey ISTP data provision efforts. Two papers were published under the auspices of the grant. Sibeck et al. reported Interball-1 observations of a wave on the magnetopause with an amplitude in excess of 5 R(sub E), the largest ever reported to date. They attributed the wave to a hot flow anomaly striking the magnetopause and suggested that the hot flow anomaly itself formed during the interaction of an IMF discontinuity with the bow shock. Nemecek et al. used Interball-1's VDP Faraday cup to identify large transient increases in the magnetosheath density. They noted large variations in simultaneous Wind observations of the IMF cone angle, but were unable to establish any relationship between the cone angle variations at Wind and the density variations at Interball-1. Funds from the second installment were used to review over 20 proposals from various researchers in the scientific community who sought NASA support to restore or archive past observations. It also supported a survey of ISTP data provisions which was used as input to a Senior Review of ongoing NASA ISTP programs.

Modeling magnetic field amplification in nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vladimirov, Andrey

2009-02-01

This research was motivated by the recent observations indicating very strong magnetic fields at some supernova remnant shocks, which suggests in-situ generation of magnetic turbulence. The dissertation presents a numerical model of collisionless shocks with strong amplification of stochastic magnetic fields, self-consistently coupled to efficient shock acceleration of charged particles. Based on a Monte Carlo simulation of particle transport and acceleration in nonlinear shocks, the model describes magnetic field amplification using the state-of-the-art analytic models of instabilities in magnetized plasmas in the presence of non-thermal particle streaming. The results help one understand the complex nonlinear connections between the thermal plasma, the accelerated particles and the stochastic magnetic fields in strong collisionless shocks. Also, predictions regarding the efficiency of particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification, the impact of magnetic field amplification on the maximum energy of accelerated particles, and the compression and heating of the thermal plasma by the shocks are presented. Particle distribution functions and turbulence spectra derived with this model can be used to calculate the emission of observable nonthermal radiation.

Parallel Electric Field on Auroral Magnetic Field Lines.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Huey-Ching Betty

1982-03-01

The interaction of Birkeland (magnetic-field-aligned) current carriers and the Earth's magnetic field results in electrostatic potential drops along magnetic field lines. The statistical distributions of the field-aligned potential difference (phi)(,(PARLL)) were determined from the energy spectra of electron inverted "V" events observed at ionospheric altitude for different conditions of geomagnetic activity as indicated by the AE index. Data of 1270 electron inverted "V"'s were obtained from Low-Energy Electron measurements of the Atmosphere Explorer-C and -D Satellite (despun mode) in the interval January 1974-April 1976. In general, (phi)(,(PARLL)) is largest in the dusk to pre-midnight sector, smaller in the post-midnight to dawn sector, and smallest in the near noon sector during quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions; there is a steady dusk-dawn-noon asymmetry of the global (phi)(,(PARLL)) distribution. As the geomagnetic activity level increases, the (phi)(,(PARLL)) pattern expands to lower invariant latitudes, and the magnitude of (phi)(,(PARLL)) in the 13-24 magnetic local time sector increases significantly. The spatial structure and intensity variation of the global (phi)(,(PARLL)) distribution are statistically more variable, and the magnitudes of (phi)(,(PARLL)) have smaller correlation with the AE-index, in the post-midnight to dawn sector. A strong correlation is found to exist between upward Birkeland current systems and global parallel potential drops, and between auroral electron precipitation patterns and parallel potential drops, regarding their mophology, their intensity and their dependence of geomagnetic activity. An analysis of the fine-scale simultaneous current-voltage relationship for upward Birkeland currents in Region 1 shows that typical field-aligned potential drops are consistent with model predictions based on linear acceleration of the charge carriers through an electrostatic potential drop along convergent magnetic field

Coronal magnetic fields and the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newkirk, G., Jr.

1972-01-01

Current information is presented on coronal magnetic fields as they bear on problems of the solar wind. Both steady state fields and coronal transient events are considered. A brief critique is given of the methods of calculating coronal magnetic fields including the potential (current free) models, exact solutions for the solar wind and field interaction, and source surface models. These solutions are compared with the meager quantitative observations which are available at this time. Qualitative comparisons between the shapes of calculated magnetic field lines and the forms visible in the solar corona at several recent eclipses are displayed. These suggest that: (1) coronal streamers develop above extended magnetic arcades which connect unipolar regions of opposite polarity; and (2) loops, arches, and rays in the corona correspond to preferentially filled magnetic tubes in the approximately potential field.

Search for the magnetic neutral line in the near-earth plasma sheet 3. An extensive study of magnetic field observations at the lunar distance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lui, A.T.Y.; Meng, C.; Akasofu, S.

1977-09-01

In this paper we have extended our search for the magnetic neutral line in the magnetotail to the lunar distance on the basis of the Explorer 35 magnetic field observations from July 1967 to December 1970. The sign of the B/sub z/ component is found to be predominantly positive during satellite crossings of the midplane (or the so-called neutral sheet) during the substorm expansive phase. Thus combining the present and the earlier results, we conclude that there is no supporting evidence for the formation of a neutral line within the lunar distance during the expansive phase of most substorms. Wemore » also discuss in detail a rare event during the geomagnetic storm of February 2-4, 1969 (Dstapprox.-180 ..gamma..). The magnetic field was observed to be pointing nearly 90/sup 0/ southward with a magnitude of 20-32 ..gamma.. for an extended period.« less

Magnetic field effect on spoke behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hnilica, Jaroslav; Slapanska, Marta; Klein, Peter; Vasina, Petr

2016-09-01

The investigations of the non-reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge using high-speed camera imaging, optical emission spectroscopy and electrical probes showed that plasma is not homogeneously distributed over the target surface, but it is concentrated in regions of higher local plasma density called spokes rotating above the erosion racetrack. Magnetic field effect on spoke behaviour was studied by high-speed camera imaging in HiPIMS discharge using 3 inch titanium target. An employed camera enabled us to record two successive images in the same pulse with time delay of 3 μs between them, which allowed us to determine the number of spokes, spoke rotation velocity and spoke rotation frequency. The experimental conditions covered pressure range from 0.15 to 5 Pa, discharge current up to 350 A and magnetic fields of 37, 72 and 91 mT. Increase of the magnetic field influenced the number of spokes observed at the same pressure and at the same discharge current. Moreover, the investigation revealed different characteristic spoke shapes depending on the magnetic field strength - both diffusive and triangular shapes were observed for the same target material. The spoke rotation velocity was independent on the magnetic field strength. This research has been financially supported by the Czech Science Foundation in frame of the project 15-00863S.

Magnetic Fields in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, Elizabeth A.

2009-01-01

Interstellar magnetic fields are believed to play a crucial role in the star-formation process, therefore a comprehensive study of magnetic fields is necessary in understanding the origins of stars. These projects use observational data obtained from the Very Large Array (VLA) in Socorro, NM. The data reveal interstellar magnetic field strengths via the Zeeman effect in radio frequency spectral lines. This information provides an estimate of the magnetic energy in star-forming interstellar clouds in the Galaxy, and comparisons can be made with these energies and the energies of self-gravitation and internal motions. From these comparisons, a better understanding of the role of magnetic fields in the origins of stars will emerge. NGC 6334 A is a compact HII region at the center of what is believed to be a large, rotating molecular torus (Kramer et al. (1997)). This is a continuing study based on initial measurements of the HI and OH Zeeman effect (Sarma et al. (2000)). The current study includes OH observations performed by the VLA at a higher spatial resolution than previously published data, and allows for a better analysis of the spatial variations of the magnetic field. A new model of the region is also developed based on OH opacity studies, dust continuum maps, radio spectral lines, and infrared (IR) maps. The VLA has been used to study the Zeeman effect in the 21cm HI line seen in absorption against radio sources in the Cygnus-X region. These sources are mostly galactic nebulae or HII regions, and are bright and compact in this region of the spectrum. HI absorption lines are strong against these regions and the VLA is capable of detecting the weak Zeeman effect within them. Support for this work was provided by the NSF PAARE program to South Carolina State University under award AST-0750814.

Chandra Observations of Magnetic White Dwarfs and their Theoretical Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.; Noble, M.; Porter, J. G.; Winget, D. E.

2003-01-01

Observations of cool DA and DB white dwarfs have not yet been successful in detecting coronal X-ray emission, but observations of late-type dwarfs and giants show that coronae are common for these stars. To produce coronal X-rays, a star must have dynamo-generated surface magnetic fields and a well-developed convection zone. There is some observational evidence that the DA star LHS 1038 and the DB star GD 358 have weak and variable surface magnetic fields. It has been suggested that such fields can be generated by dynamo action, and since both stars have well-developed convection zones, theory predicts detectable levels of coronal X-rays from these white dwarfs. However, we present analysis of Chandra observations of both stars showing no detectable X-ray emission. The derived upper limits for the X-ray fluxes provide strong constraints on theories of formation of coronae around magnetic white dwarfs. Another important implication of our negative Chandra observations is the possibility that the magnetic fields of LHS 1038 and GD 358 are fossil fields.

The magnetic field of ζ Orionis A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blazère, A.; Neiner, C.; Tkachenko, A.; Bouret, J.-C.; Rivinius, Th.

2015-10-01

Context. ζ Ori A is a hot star claimed to host a weak magnetic field, but no clear magnetic detection was obtained so far. In addition, it was recently shown to be a binary system composed of a O9.5I supergiant and a B1IV star. Aims: We aim at verifying the presence of a magnetic field in ζ Ori A, identifying to which of the two binary components it belongs (or whether both stars are magnetic), and characterizing the field. Methods: Very high signal-to-noise spectropolarimetric data were obtained with Narval at the Bernard Lyot Telescope (TBL) in France. Archival HEROS, FEROS and UVES spectroscopic data were also used. The data were first disentangled to separate the two components. We then analyzed them with the least-squares deconvolution technique to extract the magnetic information. Results: We confirm that ζ Ori A is magnetic. We find that the supergiant component ζ Ori Aa is the magnetic component: Zeeman signatures are observed and rotational modulation of the longitudinal magnetic field is clearly detected with a period of 6.829 d. This is the only magnetic O supergiant known as of today. With an oblique dipole field model of the Stokes V profiles, we show that the polar field strength is ~140 G. Because the magnetic field is weak and the stellar wind is strong, ζ Ori Aa does not host a centrifugally supported magnetosphere. It may host a dynamical magnetosphere. Its companion ζ Ori Ab does not show any magnetic signature, with an upper limit on the undetected field of ~300 G. Based on observations obtained at the Télescope Bernard Lyot (USR5026) operated by the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Université de Toulouse (Paul Sabatier), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

MODELING THE SUN’S SMALL-SCALE GLOBAL PHOTOSPHERIC MAGNETIC FIELD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyer, K. A.; Mackay, D. H., E-mail: k.meyer@abertay.ac.uk

We present a new model for the Sun’s global photospheric magnetic field during a deep minimum of activity, in which no active regions emerge. The emergence and subsequent evolution of small-scale magnetic features across the full solar surface is simulated, subject to the influence of a global supergranular flow pattern. Visually, the resulting simulated magnetograms reproduce the typical structure and scale observed in quiet Sun magnetograms. Quantitatively, the simulation quickly reaches a steady state, resulting in a mean field and flux distribution that are in good agreement with those determined from observations. A potential coronal magnetic field is extrapolated frommore » the simulated full Sun magnetograms to consider the implications of such a quiet photospheric magnetic field on the corona and inner heliosphere. The bulk of the coronal magnetic field closes very low down, in short connections between small-scale features in the simulated magnetic network. Just 0.1% of the photospheric magnetic flux is found to be open at 2.5 R {sub ⊙}, around 10–100 times less than that determined for typical Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager synoptic map observations. If such conditions were to exist on the Sun, this would lead to a significantly weaker interplanetary magnetic field than is currently observed, and hence a much higher cosmic ray flux at Earth.« less

A portable magnetic field of >3 T generated by the flux jump assisted, pulsed field magnetization of bulk superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Difan; Ainslie, Mark D.; Shi, Yunhua; Dennis, Anthony R.; Huang, Kaiyuan; Hull, John R.; Cardwell, David A.; Durrell, John H.

2017-02-01

A trapped magnetic field of greater than 3 T has been achieved in a single grain GdBa2Cu3O7-δ (GdBaCuO) bulk superconductor of diameter 30 mm by employing pulsed field magnetization. The magnet system is portable and operates at temperatures between 50 K and 60 K. Flux jump behaviour was observed consistently during magnetization when the applied pulsed field, Ba, exceeded a critical value (e.g., 3.78 T at 60 K). A sharp dBa/dt is essential to this phenomenon. This flux jump behaviour enables the magnetic flux to penetrate fully to the centre of the bulk superconductor, resulting in full magnetization of the sample without requiring an applied field as large as that predicted by the Bean model. We show that this flux jump behaviour can occur over a wide range of fields and temperatures, and that it can be exploited in a practical quasi-permanent magnet system.

Relative distribution of cosmic rays and magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seta, Amit; Shukurov, Anvar; Wood, Toby S.; Bushby, Paul J.; Snodin, Andrew P.

2018-02-01

Synchrotron radiation from cosmic rays is a key observational probe of the galactic magnetic field. Interpreting synchrotron emission data requires knowledge of the cosmic ray number density, which is often assumed to be in energy equipartition (or otherwise tightly correlated) with the magnetic field energy. However, there is no compelling observational or theoretical reason to expect such a tight correlation to hold across all scales. We use test particle simulations, tracing the propagation of charged particles (protons) through a random magnetic field, to study the cosmic ray distribution at scales comparable to the correlation scale of the turbulent flow in the interstellar medium (≃100 pc in spiral galaxies). In these simulations, we find that there is no spatial correlation between the cosmic ray number density and the magnetic field energy density. In fact, their distributions are approximately statistically independent. We find that low-energy cosmic rays can become trapped between magnetic mirrors, whose location depends more on the structure of the field lines than on the field strength.

Effect of Weak Magnetic Field on Bacterial Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masood, Samina

Effects of weak magnetic fields are observed on the growth of various bacterial strains. Different sources of a constant magnetic field are used to demonstrate that ion transport in the nutrient broth and bacterial cellular dynamics is perturbed in the presence of weak magnetic field which affects the mobility and absorption of nutrients in cells and hence their doubling rate. The change is obvious after a few hours of exposure and keeps on increasing with time for all the observed species. The growth rate depends on the field strength and the nature of the magnetic field. The field effect varies with the shape and the structure of the bacterial cell wall as well as the concentration of nutrient broth. We closely study the growth of three species Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis with the same initial concentrations at the same temperature in the same laboratory environment. Our results indicate that the weak static field of a few gauss after a few hours gives a measurable change in the growth rates of all bacterial species. This shows that the same magnetic field has different effects on different species in the same environment.

Magnetic flux ropes in the Venus ionosphere - Observations and models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elphic, R. C.; Russell, C. T.

1983-01-01

Pioneer Venus Orbiter data are used as evidence of naturally occurring magnetic field filamentary structures which can be described by a flux rope model. The solar wind is interpreted as piling up a magnetic field on the Venus ionosphere, with the incident ram pressure being expressed as magnetic field pressure. Currents flowing at the ionopause shield out the field, allowing magnetic excursions to be observed with magnitudes of tens of nT over an interval of a few seconds. A quantitative assessment is made of the signature expected from a flux rope. It is noted that each excursion of the magnetic field detected by the Orbiter magnetometer was correlated with variations in the three components of the field. A coordinate system is devised which shows that the Venus data is indicative of the presence of flux ropes whose parameters are the coordinates of the system and would yield the excursions observed in the spacecraft crossings of the fields.

Prominence plasma and magnetic field structure - A coordinated observation with IRIS, Hinode and THEMIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmieder, Brigitte; Labrosse, Nicolas; Levens, Peter; Lopez Ariste, Arturo

2016-07-01

During an international campaign in 2014, utilising both space-based (IRIS and Hinode) and ground-based (THEMIS) instruments, we focused on observing prominences. We compare IRIS observations with those of Hinode (EIS and SOT) in order to build a more complete picture of the prominence structure for a quiescent prominence observed on 15 July 2014, identified to have tornado-like structure. THEMIS provides valuable information on the orientation and strength of the internal magnetic field. Here we find there is almost ubiquitously horizontal field with respect to the local limb, with possibly a turbulent component. The Mg II lines form the majority of our IRIS analysis, with a mixture of reversed and non-reversed profiles present in the prominence spectra. Comparing the differences between the Mg II data from IRIS and the Ca II images from Hinode/SOT provides an intriguing insight into the prominence legs in these channels. We present plasma diagnostics from IRIS, with line of sight velocities of around 10 km/s in either direction along the magnetic loops of material in the front of the prominence, and line widths comparable to those found for prominences by previous authors (e.g. Schmieder et al. 2014). We also take a look into the lines formed at higher, coronal plasma temperatures, as seen by Hinode/EIS, to compare plasma structures at a full range of temperatures.

Magnetic Fields and Multiple Protostar Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boss, A. P.

2001-12-01

Recent observations of star-forming regions suggest that binary and multiple young stars are the rule rather than the exception, and implicate fragmentation as the likely mechanism for their formation. Most numerical hydrodynamical calculations of fragmentation have neglected the possibly deleterious effects of magnetic fields, in spite of ample evidence for the importance of magnetic support of pre-collapse clouds. We present here the first numerical hydrodynamical survey of the full effects of magnetic fields on the collapse and fragmentation of dense cloud cores. The models are calculated with a three dimensional, finite differences code which solves the equations of hydrodynamics, gravitation, and radiative transfer in the Eddington and diffusion approximations. Magnetic field effects are included through two simple approximations: magnetic pressure is added to the gas pressure, and magnetic tension is approximated by gravity dilution once collapse is well underway. Ambipolar diffusion of the magnetic field leading to cloud collapse is treated approximately as well. Models are calculated for a variety of initial cloud density profiles, shapes, and rotation rates. We find that in spite of the inclusion of magnetic field effects, dense cloud cores are capable of fragmenting into binary and multiple protostar systems. Initially prolate clouds tend to fragment into binary protostars, while initially oblate clouds tend to fragment into multiple protostar systems containing a small number (of order four) of fragments. The latter are likely to be subject to rapid orbital evolution, with close encounters possibly leading to the ejection of fragments. Contrary to expectation, magnetic tension effects appear to enhance fragmentation, allowing lower mass fragments to form than would otherwise be possible, because magnetic tension helps to prevent a central density singularity from forming and producing a dominant single object. Magnetically-supported dense cloud cores

The Zeeman effect in astrophysical water masers and the observation of strong magnetic fields in regions of star formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nedoluha, Gerald E.; Watson, William D.

1992-01-01

The present study solves the transfer equations for the polarized radiation of astrophysical 22-GHz water masers in the presence of a magnetic field which causes a Zeeman splitting that is much smaller than the spectral line breadth. The emphasis is placed on the relationship between the recently detected circular polarization in this maser radiation and the strength of the magnetic field. When the observed spectral line breadth is smaller than about 0.8 km/s (FWHM), it is calculated that the uncertainty is less than a factor of about 2. The accuracy is improved significantly when the angle between the line of sight and the direction of the magnetic field does not exceed about 45 deg. Uncertainty in the strength of the magnetic field due to lack of knowledge about which hyperfine transition is the source of the 22-GHz masers is removed. The 22-GHz maser feature is found to be the result of a merger of the three strongest hyperfine components.

Abnormal Magnetic Field Effects on Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Haiping; Shen, Yan; Wang, Hongfeng; He, Lei; Hu, Bin

2015-03-01

We report abnormal magnetic field effects on electrogenerated chemiluminescence (MFEECL) based on triplet emission from the Ru(bpy)3Cl2-TPrA electrochemical system: the appearance of MFEECL after magnetic field ceases. In early studies the normal MFEECL have been observed from electrochemical systems during the application of magnetic field. Here, the abnormal MFEECL suggest that the activated charge-transfer [Ru(bpy)33+ … TPrA•] complexes may become magnetized in magnetic field and experience a long magnetic relaxation after removing magnetic field. Our analysis indicates that the magnetic relaxation can gradually increase the density of charge-transfer complexes within reaction region due to decayed magnetic interactions, leading to a positive component in the abnormal MFEECL. On the other hand, the magnetic relaxation facilitates an inverse conversion from triplets to singlets within charge-transfer complexes. The inverse triplet --> singlet conversion reduces the density of triplet light-emitting states through charge-transfer complexes and gives rise to a negative component in the abnormal MFEECL. The combination of positive and negative components can essentially lead to a non-monotonic profile in the abnormal MFEECL after ceasing magnetic field. Nevertheless, our experimental studies may reveal un-usual magnetic behaviors with long magnetic relaxation from the activated charge-transfer [Ru(bpy)33+ … TPrA•] complexes in solution at room temperature.

Direct observation of electronic and nuclear ground state splitting in external magnetic field by inelastic neutron scattering on oxidized ferrocene and ferrocene containing polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appel, Markus; Frick, Bernhard; Elbert, Johannes; Gallei, Markus; Stühn, Bernd

2015-01-01

The quantum mechanical splitting of states by interaction of a magnetic moment with an external magnetic field is well known, e.g., as Zeeman effect in optical transitions, and is also often seen in magnetic neutron scattering. We report excitations observed in inelastic neutron spectroscopy on the redox-responsive polymer poly(vinylferrocene). They are interpreted as splitting of the electronic ground state in the organometallic ferrocene units attached to the polymer chain where a magnetic moment is created by oxidation. In a second experiment using high resolution neutron backscattering spectroscopy we observe the hyperfine splitting, i.e., interaction of nuclear magnetic moments with external magnetic fields leading to sub-μeV excitations observable in incoherent neutron spin-flip scattering on hydrogen and vanadium nuclei.

Magnetic Fields in Interacting Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, G.; Ferrario, L.; Tout, C. A.; Wickramasinghe, D. T.

2018-01-01

Wickramasinghe et al. (2014) and Briggs et al. (2015) have proposed that the strong magnetic fields observed in some single white dwarfs (MWDs) are formed by an α—Ω dynamo driven by differential rotation when two stars, the more massive one with a degenerate core, merge during common envelope (CE) evolution (Ferrario et al., 2015b). We synthesise a population of binaries to investigate if fields in the magnetic cataclysmic variables (MCVs) may also originate during stellar interaction in the CE phase.

The generation and dissipation of solar and galactic magnetic fields.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1973-01-01

Turbulent diffusion of magnetic field plays an essential role in the generation of magnetic field in most astrophysical bodies. Review of what can be proved and what can be believed about the turbulent diffusion of magnetic field. Observations indicate the dissipation of magnetic field at rates that can be understood only in terms of turbulent diffusion. Theory shows that a large-scale weak magnetic field diffuses in a turbulent flow in the same way that smoke is mixed throughout the fluid by the turbulence. The small-scale fields (produced from the large-scale field by the turbulence) are limited in their growth by reconnection of field lines at neutral points, so that the turbulent mixing of field and fluid is not halted by them. Altogether, it appears that the mixing of field and fluid in the observed turbulent motions in the sun and in the Galaxy is unavoidable. Turbulent diffusion causes decay of the general solar fields in a decade or so, and of the galactic field in 100 m.y. to 1 b.y. It is concluded that continual dynamo action is implied by the observed existence of the fields.

Substorm variations in the magnitude of the magnetic field - AMPTE/CCE observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopez, R. E.; Sibeck, D. G.; Lui, A. T. Y.; Takahashi, K.; Mcentire, R. W.

1988-01-01

Using energetic-particle data taken in the near-earth tail by the AMPTE/Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) satellite, 167 ion injection events, that were essentially dispersionless over a 25-285 keV energy range, were identified, and the variations in the total magnetic field strength over the course of these events were examined in order to determine the dependence of the magnetic field strength on dipole latitude. Results indicate that, during periods of substorm activity, the latitudinal position of the current sheet varied significantly within the 32-deg wedge centered on the dipole equator traversed by CCE. Results also suggest that, even in the near-earth magnetotail out to 8.8 R(E) (CCE apogee), the local field measurements are a better guide to the determination of satellite's position relative to the current shield during a substorm, than is the magnetic latitude.

The ARASE (ERG) magnetic field investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuoka, Ayako; Teramoto, Mariko; Nomura, Reiko; Nosé, Masahito; Fujimoto, Akiko; Tanaka, Yoshimasa; Shinohara, Manabu; Nagatsuma, Tsutomu; Shiokawa, Kazuo; Obana, Yuki; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Mita, Makoto; Takashima, Takeshi; Shinohara, Iku

2018-03-01

The fluxgate magnetometer for the Arase (ERG) spacecraft mission was built to investigate particle acceleration processes in the inner magnetosphere. Precise measurements of the field intensity and direction are essential in studying the motion of particles, the properties of waves interacting with the particles, and magnetic field variations induced by electric currents. By observing temporal field variations, we will more deeply understand magnetohydrodynamic and electromagnetic ion-cyclotron waves in the ultra-low-frequency range, which can cause production and loss of relativistic electrons and ring-current particles. The hardware and software designs of the Magnetic Field Experiment (MGF) were optimized to meet the requirements for studying these phenomena. The MGF makes measurements at a sampling rate of 256 vectors/s, and the data are averaged onboard to fit the telemetry budget. The magnetometer switches the dynamic range between ± 8000 and ± 60,000 nT, depending on the local magnetic field intensity. The experiment is calibrated by preflight tests and through analysis of in-orbit data. MGF data are edited into files with a common data file format, archived on a data server, and made available to the science community. Magnetic field observation by the MGF will significantly improve our knowledge of the growth and decay of radiation belts and ring currents, as well as the dynamics of geospace storms.

Observations of a field-aligned ion/ion-beam instability in a magnetized laboratory plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heuer, P. V.; Weidl, M. S.; Dorst, R. S.; Schaeffer, D. B.; Bondarenko, A. S.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; Van Compernolle, B.; Vincena, S.; Constantin, C. G.; Niemann, C.; Winske, D.

2018-03-01

Collisionless coupling between super Alfvénic ions and an ambient plasma parallel to a background magnetic field is mediated by a set of electromagnetic ion/ion-beam instabilities including the resonant right hand instability (RHI). To study this coupling and its role in parallel shock formation, a new experimental configuration at the University of California, Los Angeles utilizes high-energy and high-repetition-rate lasers to create a super-Alfvénic field-aligned debris plasma within an ambient plasma in the Large Plasma Device. We used a time-resolved fluorescence monochromator and an array of Langmuir probes to characterize the laser plasma velocity distribution and density. The debris ions were observed to be sufficiently super-Alfvénic and dense to excite the RHI. Measurements with magnetic flux probes exhibited a right-hand circularly polarized frequency chirp consistent with the excitation of the RHI near the laser target. We compared measurements to 2D hybrid simulations of the experiment.

Non-potential Field Formation in the X-shaped Quadrupole Magnetic Field Configuration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawabata, Y.; Shimizu, T.; Inoue, S., E-mail: kawabata.yusuke@ac.jaxa.jp

Some types of solar flares are observed in X-shaped quadrupolar field configuration. To understand the magnetic energy storage in such a region, we studied non-potential field formation in an X-shaped quadrupolar field region formed in the active region NOAA 11967, which produced three X-shaped M-class flares on 2014 February 2. Nonlinear force-free field modeling was applied to a time series of vector magnetic field maps from the Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory . Our analysis of the temporal three-dimensional magnetic field evolution shows that the sufficient freemore » energy had already been stored more than 10 hr before the occurrence of the first M-class flare and that the storage was observed in a localized region. In this localized region, quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) started to develop gradually from 9 hr before the first M-class flare. One of the flare ribbons that appeared in the first M-class flare was co-spatial with the location of the QSLs, suggesting that the formation of the QSLs is important in the process of energy release. These QSLs do not appear in the potential field calculation, indicating that they were created by the non-potential field. The formation of the QSLs was associated with the transverse photospheric motion of the pre-emerged flux and the emergence of a new flux. This observation indicates that the occurrence of the flares requires the formation of QSLs in the non-potential field in which free magnetic energy is stored in advance.« less

MMS Observations of Ion-Scale Magnetic Island in the Magnetosheath Turbulent Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, S. Y.; Sahraoui, F.; Retino, A.; Contel, O. Le; Yuan, Z. G.; Chasapis, A.; Aunai, N.; Breuillard, H.; Deng, X. H.; Zhou, M.;

Magnetic fields around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garofalo, David A. G.

Active Galactic Nuclei are the most powerful long-lived objects in the universe. They are thought to harbor supermassive black holes that range from 1 million solar masses to 1000 times that value and possibly greater. Theory and observation are converging on a model for these objects that involves the conversion of gravitational potential energy of accreting gas to radiation as well as Poynting flux produced by the interaction of the rotating spacetime and the electromagnetic fields originating in the ionized accretion flow. The presence of black holes in astrophysics is taking center stage, with the output from AGN in various forms such as winds and jets influencing the formation and evolution of the host galaxy. This dissertation addresses some of the basic unanswered questions that plague our current understanding of how rotating black holes interact with their surrounding magnetized accretion disks to produce the enormous observed energy. Two magnetic configurations are examined. The first involves magnetic fields connecting the black hole with the inner accretion disk and the other involves large scale magnetic fields threading the disk and the hole. We study the effects of the former type by establishing the consequences that magnetic torques between the black hole and the inner accretion disk have on the energy dissipation profile. We attempt a plausible explanation to the observed "Deep Minimum" state in the Seyfert galaxy MCG-6- 30-15. For the latter type of magnetic geometry, we study the effects of the strength of the magnetic field threading the black hole within the context of the cherished Blandford & Znajek mechanism for black hole spin energy extraction. We begin by addressing the problem in the non-relativistic regime where we find that the black hole-threading magnetic field is stronger for greater disk thickness, larger magnetic Prandtl number, and for a larger accretion disk. We then study the problem in full relativity where we show that our

Galactic and Intergalactic Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, U.; Fletcher, A.

This course-tested textbook conveys the fundamentals of magnetic fields and relativistic plasma in diffuse cosmic media, with a primary focus on phenomena that have been observed at different wavelengths. Theoretical concepts are addressed wherever necessary, with derivations presented in sufficient detail to be generally accessible. In the first few chapters the authors present an introduction to various astrophysical phenomena related to cosmic magnetism, with scales ranging from molecular clouds in star-forming regions and supernova remnants in the Milky Way, to clusters of galaxies. Later chapters address the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of the interstellar medium, galaxies and galaxy clusters. The book is intended for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in astronomy and physics and will serve as an entry point for those starting their first research projects in the field.

L10-MnGa based magnetic tunnel junction for high magnetic field sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, X. P.; Lu, J.; Mao, S. W.; Yu, Z. F.; Wang, H. L.; Wang, X. L.; Wei, D. H.; Zhao, J. H.

2017-07-01

We report on the investigation of the magnetic tunnel junction structure designed for high magnetic field sensors with a perpendicularly magnetized L10-MnGa reference layer and an in-plane magnetized Fe sensing layer. A large linear tunneling magnetoresistance ratio up to 27.4% and huge dynamic range up to 5600 Oe have been observed at 300 K, with a low nonlinearity of 0.23% in the optimized magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The field response of tunneling magnetoresistance is discussed to explain the field sensing properties in the dynamic range. These results indicate that L10-MnGa based orthogonal MTJ is a promising candidate for a high performance magnetic field sensor with a large dynamic range, high endurance and low power consumption.

HELIOSHEATH MAGNETIC FIELD AND PLASMA OBSERVED BY VOYAGER 2 DURING 2012 IN THE RISING PHASE OF SOLAR CYCLE 24

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.; Richardson, J. D.

We discuss magnetic field and plasma observations of the heliosheath made by Voyager 2 (V2) during 2012, when V2 was observing the effects of increasing solar activity following the solar minimum in 2009. The average magnetic field strength B was 0.14 nT and B reached 0.29 nT on day 249. V2 was in a unipolar region in which the magnetic polarity was directed away from the Sun along the Parker spiral 88% of the time, indicating that V2 was poleward of the heliospheric current sheet throughout most of 2012. The magnetic flux at V2 during 2012 was constant. A mergedmore » interaction region (MIR) was observed, and the flow speed increased as the MIR moved past V2. The MIR caused a decrease in the >70 MeV nuc{sup −1} cosmic-ray intensity. The increments of B can be described by a q-Gaussian distribution with q = 1.2 ± 0.1 for daily averages and q = 1.82 ± 0.03 for hour averages. Eight isolated current sheets (“PBLs”) and four closely spaced pairs of current sheets were observed. The average change of B across the current sheets was a factor of ≈2, and B increased or decreased with equal probability. Magnetic holes and magnetic humps were also observed. The characteristic size of the PBLs was ≈6 R{sub L}, where R{sub L} is the Larmor radius of protons, and the characteristic sizes of the magnetic holes and humps were ≈38 R{sub L} and ≈11 R{sub L}, respectively.« less

Photospheric magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, R.

1972-01-01

Knowledge on the nature of magnetic fields on the solar surface is reviewed. At least a large part of the magnetic flux in the solar surface is confined to small bundles of lines of force within which the field strength is of the order of 500 gauss. Magnetic fields are closely associated with all types of solar activity. Magnetic flux appears at the surface at the clearly defined birth or regeneration of activity of an active region. As the region ages, the magnetic flux migrates to form large-scale patterns and the polar fields. Some manifestations of the large-scale distribution are discussed.

BOOTSTRAPPING THE CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELD WITH STEREO: UNIPOLAR POTENTIAL FIELD MODELING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aschwanden, Markus J.; Sandman, Anne W., E-mail: aschwanden@lmsal.co

We investigate the recently quantified misalignment of {alpha}{sub mis} {approx} 20{sup 0}-40{sup 0} between the three-dimensional geometry of stereoscopically triangulated coronal loops observed with STEREO/EUVI (in four active regions (ARs)) and theoretical (potential or nonlinear force-free) magnetic field models extrapolated from photospheric magnetograms. We develop an efficient method of bootstrapping the coronal magnetic field by forward fitting a parameterized potential field model to the STEREO-observed loops. The potential field model consists of a number of unipolar magnetic charges that are parameterized by decomposing a photospheric magnetogram from the Michelson Doppler Imager. The forward-fitting method yields a best-fit magnetic field modelmore » with a reduced misalignment of {alpha}{sub PF} {approx} 13{sup 0}-20{sup 0}. We also evaluate stereoscopic measurement errors and find a contribution of {alpha}{sub SE} {approx} 7{sup 0}-12{sup 0}, which constrains the residual misalignment to {alpha}{sub NP} {approx} 11{sup 0}-17{sup 0}, which is likely due to the nonpotentiality of the ARs. The residual misalignment angle, {alpha}{sub NP}, of the potential field due to nonpotentiality is found to correlate with the soft X-ray flux of the AR, which implies a relationship between electric currents and plasma heating.« less

Sources of magnetic fields in recurrent interplanetary streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Behannon, K. W.; Hansen, S. F.; Pneuman, G. W.; Feldman, W. C.

1978-01-01

The paper examines sources of magnetic fields in recurrent streams observed by the Imp 8 and Heos spacecraft at 1 AU and by Mariner 10 en route to Mercury between October 31, 1973 and February 9, 1974, during Carrington rotations 1607-1610. Although most fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to coronal holes and the magnetic field lines were open in those holes, some of the magnetic fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to open field line regions on the sun which were not associated with known coronal holes, indicating that open field lines may be more basic than coronal holes as sources of the solar wind. Magnetic field intensities in five equatorial coronal holes, certain photospheric magnetic fields, and the coronal footprints of the sector boundaries on the source surface are characterized.

Large Solar Flares and Sheared Magnetic Field Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhary, Debi Prasad

2001-01-01

This Comment gives additional information about the nature of flaring locations on the Sun described in the article "Sun unleashes Halloween storm", by R. E. Lopez, et al. What causes the large explosions from solar active regions that unleash huge magnetic storms and adverse space weather? It is now beyond doubt that the magnetic field in solar active regions harbors free energy that is released during these events. Direct measurements of the longitudinal and transverse components of active region magnetic fields with the vector magnetograph at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), taken on a regular basis for the last 30 years, have found key signatures of the locations of powerful flares. A vector magnetograph detects and measures the magnetic shear, which is the deviation of the observed transverse magnetic field direction from the potential field. The sheared locations possess abundant free magnetic energy for solar flares. In addition to active region NOAA 10486, the one that produced the largest flares last October, the NASA/MSFC vector magnetograph has observed several other such complex super active regions, including NOAA 6555 and 6659.

The Role of Magnetic Fields in Star Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pipher, Judith

2018-06-01

The SOFIA instrument complement makes available the capability to characterize the physical properties (turbulence, dynamics, magnetic field structure and strength, gas density) of the molecular cloud filaments in which stars form.HAWC+, the newest SOFIA instrument, provides a unique opportunity to probe the complex roles that magnetic fields play in the star formation process on spatial scales intermediate to those explored by Planck (5’ scale), to those of ALMA at the smallest spatial scales (<0.6”scale and 2” fields of view). HAWC+ measures the thermal emission from dust grains in molecular cloud star forming regions at wavelengths 53 to 216 mm, as well as the far infrared polarization on diffraction-limited spatial scales of 5” – 20” over fields of view ~2’ – 8’. Complementary near- to mid-IR polarimetry on 8-10m telescopes is available, as is submm polarimetry from both ground-based and balloon-borne telescopes. Currently there is no other far-IR polarimetry facility, and the HAWC+ wavelength ranges allow discrimination among different polarization mechanisms. HAWC+’ angular resolution is particularly well suited to study the magnetic field of entire cloud cores, thus connecting the Planck large scale molecular cloud structure with ALMA’s detailed small-scale structure of the core.SOFIA also offers the advantages of molecular line emission follow-up on regions for which HAWC+ determines magnetic field strength and direction. GREAT and/or FIFI-LS molecular line observations of the region of interest will complement the magnetic field observations: cloud and filament dynamics, the magnitude of the turbulence, and of course the core gas density can be determined through observations of appropriate molecular lines.These observations, as well as synergistic observations with other telescopes, will provide powerful tools to further our understanding of the fundamental physics of both low mass and high mass star formation, including the role

Genesis of magnetic fields in isolated white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Gordon P.; Ferrario, Lilia; Tout, Christopher A.; Wickramasinghe, Dayal T.

2018-05-01

A dynamo mechanism driven by differential rotation when stars merge has been proposed to explain the presence of strong fields in certain classes of magnetic stars. In the case of the high field magnetic white dwarfs (HFMWDs), the site of the differential rotation has been variously thought to be the common envelope, the hot outer regions of a merged degenerate core or an accretion disc formed by a tidally disrupted companion that is subsequently accreted by a degenerate core. We have shown previously that the observed incidence of magnetism and the mass distribution in HFMWDs are consistent with the hypothesis that they are the result of merging binaries during common envelope evolution. Here we calculate the magnetic field strengths generated by common envelope interactions for synthetic populations using a simple prescription for the generation of fields and find that the observed magnetic field distribution is also consistent with the stellar merging hypothesis. We use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to study the correlation between the calculated and the observed field strengths and find that it is consistent for low envelope ejection efficiency. We also suggest that field generation by the plunging of a giant gaseous planet on to a white dwarf may explain why magnetism among cool white dwarfs (including DZ white dwarfs) is higher than among hot white dwarfs. In this picture a super-Jupiter residing in the outer regions of the white dwarf's planetary system is perturbed into a highly eccentric orbit by a close stellar encounter and is later accreted by the white dwarf.

Genesis of magnetic fields in isolated white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Gordon P.; Ferrario, Lilia; Tout, Christopher A.; Wickramasinghe, Dayal T.

2018-07-01

A dynamo mechanism driven by differential rotation when stars merge has been proposed to explain the presence of strong fields in certain classes of magnetic stars. In the case of the high-field magnetic white dwarfs (HFMWDs), the site of the differential rotation has been variously thought to be the common envelope, the hot outer regions of a merged degenerate core or an accretion disc are formed by a tidally disrupted companion that is subsequently accreted by a degenerate core. We have shown previously that the observed incidence of magnetism and the mass distribution in HFMWDs are consistent with the hypothesis that they are the result of merging binaries during common envelope evolution. Here, we calculate the magnetic field strengths generated by common envelope interactions for synthetic populations using a simple prescription for the generation of fields and find that the observed magnetic field distribution is also consistent with the stellar merging hypothesis. We use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to study the correlation between the calculated and the observed field strengths and find that it is consistent for low envelope ejection efficiency. We also suggest that the field generation by the plunging of a giant gaseous planet on to a white dwarf may explain why magnetism among cool white dwarfs (including DZ white dwarfs) is higher than among hot white dwarfs. In this picture, a super-Jupiter residing in the outer regions of the white dwarf's planetary system is perturbed into a highly eccentric orbit by a close stellar encounter and is later accreted by the white dwarf.

Magnetic Fields in the Massive Dense Cores of the DR21 Filament: Weakly Magnetized Cores in a Strongly Magnetized Filament

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ching, Tao-Chung; Lai, Shih-Ping; Zhang, Qizhou

We present Submillimeter Array 880 μ m dust polarization observations of six massive dense cores in the DR21 filament. The dust polarization shows complex magnetic field structures in the massive dense cores with sizes of 0.1 pc, in contrast to the ordered magnetic fields of the parsec-scale filament. The major axes of the massive dense cores appear to be aligned either parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic fields of the filament, indicating that the parsec-scale magnetic fields play an important role in the formation of the massive dense cores. However, the correlation between the major axes of the cores andmore » the magnetic fields of the cores is less significant, suggesting that during the core formation, the magnetic fields below 0.1 pc scales become less important than the magnetic fields above 0.1 pc scales in supporting a core against gravity. Our analysis of the angular dispersion functions of the observed polarization segments yields a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 0.4–1.7 mG for the massive dense cores. We estimate the kinematic, magnetic, and gravitational virial parameters of the filament and the cores. The virial parameters show that the gravitational energy in the filament dominates magnetic and kinematic energies, while the kinematic energy dominates in the cores. Our work suggests that although magnetic fields may play an important role in a collapsing filament, the kinematics arising from gravitational collapse must become more important than magnetic fields during the evolution from filaments to massive dense cores.« less

CHANGE OF MAGNETIC FIELD-GAS ALIGNMENT AT THE GRAVITY-DRIVEN ALFVÉNIC TRANSITION IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DUST POLARIZATION OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Che-Yu; King, Patrick K.; Li, Zhi-Yun

Diffuse striations in molecular clouds are preferentially aligned with local magnetic fields, whereas dense filaments tend to be perpendicular to them. When and why this transition occurs remain uncertain. To explore the physics behind this transition, we compute the histogram of relative orientation (HRO) between the density gradient and the magnetic field in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of prestellar core formation in shock-compressed regions within giant molecular clouds. We find that, in the magnetically dominated (sub-Alfvénic) post-shock region, the gas structure is preferentially aligned with the local magnetic field. For overdense sub-regions with super-Alfvénic gas, their elongation becomes preferentially perpendicularmore » to the local magnetic field. The transition occurs when self-gravitating gas gains enough kinetic energy from the gravitational acceleration to overcome the magnetic support against the cross-field contraction, which results in a power-law increase of the field strength with density. Similar results can be drawn from HROs in projected two-dimensional maps with integrated column densities and synthetic polarized dust emission. We quantitatively analyze our simulated polarization properties, and interpret the reduced polarization fraction at high column densities as the result of increased distortion of magnetic field directions in trans- or super-Alfvénic gas. Furthermore, we introduce measures of the inclination and tangledness of the magnetic field along the line of sight as the controlling factors of the polarization fraction. Observations of the polarization fraction and angle dispersion can therefore be utilized in studying local magnetic field morphology in star-forming regions.« less

POSSIBLE EVIDENCE FOR A FISK-TYPE HELIOSPHERIC MAGNETIC FIELD. I. ANALYZING ULYSSES/KET ELECTRON OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sternal, O.; Heber, B.; Kopp, A.

The propagation of energetic charged particles in the heliospheric magnetic field is one of the fundamental problems in heliophysics. In particular, the structure of the heliospheric magnetic field remains an unsolved problem and is discussed as a controversial topic. The first successful analytic approach to the structure of the heliospheric magnetic field was the Parker field. However, the measurements of the Ulysses spacecraft at high latitudes revealed the possible need for refinements of the existing magnetic field model during solar minimum. Among other reasons, this led to the development of the Fisk field. This approach is highly debated and couldmore » not be ruled out with magnetic field measurements so far. A promising method to trace this magnetic field structure is to model the propagation of electrons in the energy range of a few MeV. Employing three-dimensional and time-dependent simulations of the propagation of energetic electrons, this work shows that the influence of a Fisk-type field on the particle transport in the heliosphere leads to characteristic variations of the electron intensities on the timescale of a solar rotation. For the first time it is shown that the Ulysses count rates of 2.5-7 MeV electrons contain the imprint of a Fisk-type heliospheric magnetic field structure. From a comparison of simulation results and the Ulysses count rates, realistic parameters for the Fisk theory are derived. Furthermore, these parameters are used to investigate the modeled relative amplitudes of protons and electrons, including the effects of drifts.« less

Determination of Coronal Magnetic Fields from Vector Magnetograms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikic, Zoran

1997-01-01

During the course of the present contract we developed an 'evolutionary technique' for the determination of force-free coronal magnetic fields from vector magnetograph observations. The method can successfully generate nonlinear force- free fields (with non-constant-a) that match vector magnetograms. We demonstrated that it is possible to determine coronal magnetic fields from photospheric measurements, and we applied it to vector magnetograms of active regions. We have also studied theoretical models of coronal fields that lead to disruptions. Specifically, we have demonstrated that the determination of force-free fields from exact boundary data is a well-posed mathematical problem, by verifying that the computed coronal field agrees with an analytic force-free field when boundary data for the analytic field are used; demonstrated that it is possible to determine active-region coronal magnetic fields from photospheric measurements, by computing the coronal field above active region 5747 on 20 October 1989, AR6919 on 15 November 1991, and AR7260 on 18 August 1992, from data taken with the Stokes Polarimeter at Mees Solar Observatory, University of Hawaii; started to analyze active region 7201 on 19 June 1992 using measurements made with the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter at NSO/Sac Peak; investigated the effects of imperfections in the photospheric data on the computed coronal magnetic field; documented the coronal field structure of AR5747 and compared it to the morphology of footpoint emission in a flare, showing that the 'high- pressure' H-alpha footpoints are connected by coronal field lines; shown that the variation of magnetic field strength along current-carrying field lines is significantly different from the variation in a potential field, and that the resulting near-constant area of elementary flux tubes is consistent with observations; begun to develop realistic models of coronal fields which can be used to study flare trigger mechanisms; demonstrated that

Maneuvering thermal conductivity of magnetic nanofluids by tunable magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Jaykumar; Parekh, Kinnari; Upadhyay, R. V.

2015-06-01

We report an experimental investigation of magnetic field dependent thermal conductivity of a transformer oil base magnetic fluid as a function of volume fractions. In the absence of magnetic field, thermal conductivity increases linearly with an increase in volume fraction, and magnitude of thermal conductivity thus obtained is lower than that predicted by Maxwell's theory. This reveals the presence of clusters/oligomers in the system. On application of magnetic field, it exhibits a non-monotonous increase in thermal conductivity. The results are interpreted using the concept of a two-step homogenization method (which is based on differential effective medium theory). The results show a transformation of particle cluster configuration from long chain like prolate shape to the aggregated drop-like structure with increasing concentration as well as a magnetic field. The aggregated drop-like structure for concentrated system is supported by optical microscopic images. This shape change of clusters reduces thermal conductivity enhancement. Moreover, this structure formation is observed as a dynamic phenomenon, and at 226 mT field, the length of the structure extends with time, becomes maximum, and then reduces. This change results in the increase or decrease of thermal conductivity.

Internal Gravity Waves in the Magnetized Solar Atmosphere. I. Magnetic Field Effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vigeesh, G.; Steiner, O.; Jackiewicz, J., E-mail: vigeesh@leibniz-kis.de

Observations of the solar atmosphere show that internal gravity waves are generated by overshooting convection, but are suppressed at locations of magnetic flux, which is thought to be the result of mode conversion into magnetoacoustic waves. Here, we present a study of the acoustic-gravity wave spectrum emerging from a realistic, self-consistent simulation of solar (magneto)convection. A magnetic field free, hydrodynamic simulation and a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation with an initial, vertical, homogeneous field of 50 G flux density were carried out and compared with each other to highlight the effect of magnetic fields on the internal gravity wave propagation in themore » Sun’s atmosphere. We find that the internal gravity waves are absent or partially reflected back into the lower layers in the presence of magnetic fields and argue that the suppression is due to the coupling of internal gravity waves to slow magnetoacoustic waves still within the high- β region of the upper photosphere. The conversion to Alfvén waves is highly unlikely in our model because there is no strongly inclined magnetic field present. We argue that the suppression of internal waves observed within magnetic flux concentrations may also be due to nonlinear breaking of internal waves due to vortex flows that are ubiquitously present in the upper photosphere and the chromosphere.« less

Observations of dusty plasmas with magnetized dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Q.-Z.; D'Angelo, N.

2000-11-01

We report a newly observed phenomenon in a dusty plasma device of the \\mbox{Q-machine} type. At low plasma densities the time required by the plasma to return to its no-dust conditions, after the dust dispenser is turned off, can be as long as many tens of seconds or longer. A tentative interpretation of this observation in terms of magnetized dust grains is advanced. It appears that an important loss mechanism of fine dust grains is by ion drag along the magnetic field lines. The effect of ion drag is somewhat counteracted by the -µ∇B force present when the magnetic field has a mirror geometry.

The significance of vector magnetic field measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, M. J.

1990-01-01

Observations of four flaring solar active regions, obtained during 1980-1986 with the NASA Marshall vector magnetograph (Hagyard et al., 1982 and 1985), are presented graphically and characterized in detail, with reference to nearly simultaneous Big Bear Solar Observatory and USAF ASW H-alpha images. It is shown that the flares occurred where local photospheric magnetic fields differed most from the potential field, with initial brightening on either side of a magnetic-neutral line near the point of maximum angular shear (rather than that of maximum magnetic-field strength, typically 1 kG or greater). Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that these significant nonpotential features were detected only by measuring all three components of the vector magnetic field.

Presidential Address: Turbulent magnetic fields in the Sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Nigel

2001-06-01

Nigel Weiss recounts his Presidential Address 2001, given to the RAS A&G Ordinary Meeting on 9 February 2001. Recent high-resolution observations, from the ground and from space, have revealed the fine structure of magnetic features at the surface of the Sun. At the same time, advances in computing power have at last made it possible to develop models of turbulent magnetoconvection that can be related to these observations. The key features of flux emergence and annihilation, as observed by the MDI experiment on SOHO, are reproduced in kinematic calculations, while three-dimensional numerical experiments reveal the dynamical processes that are involved. The pattern of convection depends on the strength of the magnetic field: as the mean field decreases, slender rising plumes give way to a regime where magnetic flux is separated from the motion and then to one where locally intense magnetic fields nestle between broad and vigorously convecting plumes. Moreover, turbulent convection is itself able to act as a small-scale dynamo, generating disordered fields near the solar surface.

MAGNETIC FIELD IN ATYPICAL PROMINENCE STRUCTURES: BUBBLE, TORNADO, AND ERUPTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levens, P. J.; Labrosse, N.; Schmieder, B.

Spectropolarimetric observations of prominences have been obtained with the THEMIS telescope during four years of coordinated campaigns. Our aim is now to understand the conditions of the cool plasma and magnetism in “atypical” prominences, namely when the measured inclination of the magnetic field departs, to some extent, from the predominantly horizontal field found in “typical” prominences. What is the role of the magnetic field in these prominence types? Are plasma dynamics more important in these cases than the magnetic support? We focus our study on three types of “atypical” prominences (tornadoes, bubbles, and jet-like prominence eruptions) that have all beenmore » observed by THEMIS in the He i D{sub 3} line, from which the Stokes parameters can be derived. The magnetic field strength, inclination, and azimuth in each pixel are obtained by using the inversion method of principal component analysis on a model of single scattering in the presence of the Hanle effect. The magnetic field in tornadoes is found to be more or less horizontal, whereas for the eruptive prominence it is mostly vertical. We estimate a tendency toward higher values of magnetic field strength inside the bubbles than outside in the surrounding prominence. In all of the models in our database, only one magnetic field orientation is considered for each pixel. While sufficient for most of the main prominence body, this assumption appears to be oversimplified in atypical prominence structures. We should consider these observations as the result of superposition of multiple magnetic fields, possibly even with a turbulent field component.« less

Planetary science. Low-altitude magnetic field measurements by MESSENGER reveal Mercury's ancient crustal field.

PubMed

Johnson, Catherine L; Phillips, Roger J; Purucker, Michael E; Anderson, Brian J; Byrne, Paul K; Denevi, Brett W; Feinberg, Joshua M; Hauck, Steven A; Head, James W; Korth, Haje; James, Peter B; Mazarico, Erwan; Neumann, Gregory A; Philpott, Lydia C; Siegler, Matthew A; Tsyganenko, Nikolai A; Solomon, Sean C

2015-05-22

Magnetized rocks can record the history of the magnetic field of a planet, a key constraint for understanding its evolution. From orbital vector magnetic field measurements of Mercury taken by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft at altitudes below 150 kilometers, we have detected remanent magnetization in Mercury's crust. We infer a lower bound on the average age of magnetization of 3.7 to 3.9 billion years. Our findings indicate that a global magnetic field driven by dynamo processes in the fluid outer core operated early in Mercury's history. Ancient field strengths that range from those similar to Mercury's present dipole field to Earth-like values are consistent with the magnetic field observations and with the low iron content of Mercury's crust inferred from MESSENGER elemental composition data. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The effect of magnetic field on copper in various corrosive medium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ang, L. Y.; Othman, N. K.; Jalar, A.

2014-09-03

The effect of applied magnetic field on the corrosion behaviour of copper within various corrosive medium is investigated. The copper coupon is immersed in 0.5 M HCl, 0.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M NaOH with or without applying up to 40 mT magnetic fields for 24 hours. The weight loss of copper coupon in HCl increased up to 96.56% with applied magnetic fields. However, in NaOH medium, only 33.33% more weight loss was observed and no difference were observed for coupons in NaCl when magnetic field is applied. This observation indicates that corrosion behaviour in HCl and NaOH is controlledmore » by mass transport that can be influenced by the induced magneto hydrodynamics effect when magnetic field is applied. There was no change in weight loss of copper in NaCl when magnetic field is applied because the corrosion mechanism of copper in NaCl is governed by electron charge transfer.« less

Energetic ion observations in the magnetic cloud of 14-15 January 1988 and their implications for the magnetic field topology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, I. G.; Farrugia, C. J.; Burlaga, L. F.

1991-01-01

On 14-15 January 1988, a magnetic cloud with a local field topology consistent with an east-west aligned cylindrical flux-rope and which formed the driver of an interplanetary shock passed the earth. Using 0.5-4 MeV/n ion data from the instrument on IMP 8, the paper addresses the question of whether or not magnetic field lines within the magnetic cloud were connected to the sun. An impulsive solar particle event was detected inside the magnetic cloud strongly suggesting that the field lines were rooted at the sun.

Pulsed magnetic field generation suited for low-field unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaunkar, Neelam Prabhu; Selvaraj, Jayaprakash; Theh, Wei-Shen; Weber, Robert; Mina, Mani

2018-05-01

Pulsed magnetic fields can be used to provide instantaneous localized magnetic field variations. In presence of static fields, pulsed field variations are often used to apply torques and in-effect to measure behavior of magnetic moments in different states. In this work, the design and experimental performance of a pulsed magnetic field generator suited for low static field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) applications is presented. One of the challenges of low bias field NMR measurements is low signal to noise ratio due to the comparable nature of the bias field and the pulsed field. Therefore, a circuit is designed to apply pulsed currents through an inductive load, leading to generation of pulsed magnetic fields which can temporarily overpower the effect of the bias field on magnetic moments. The designed circuit will be tuned to operate at the precession frequency of 1H (protons) placed in a bias field produced by permanent magnets. The designed circuit parameters may be tuned to operate under different bias conditions. Therefore, low field NMR measurements can be performed for different bias fields. Circuit simulations were used to determine design parameters, corresponding experimental measurements will be presented in this work.

MESSENGER observations of the response of Mercury's magnetosphere to northward and southward interplanetary magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slavin, James

M. H. Acũa (2), B. J. Anderson (3), D. N. Baker (4), M. Benna (2), S. A. Boardsen (1), G. n Gloeckler (5), R. E. Gold (3), G. C. Ho (3), H. Korth (3), S. M. Krimigis (3), S. A. Livi (6), R. L. McNutt Jr. (3), J. M. Raines (5), M. Sarantos (1), D. Schriver (7), S. C. Solomon (8), P. Travnicek (9), and T. H. Zurbuchen (5) (1) Heliophysics Science Division, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA, (2) Solar System Exploration Division, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA, (3) The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA, (4) Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA, (5) Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA (6) Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA, (7) Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA, (8) Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC 20015, USA, and (9) Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Prague, Czech Republic, 14131 MESSENGER's 14 January 2008 encounter with Mercury has provided new observations of the solar wind interaction with this planet. Here we report initial results concerning this miniature magnetosphere's response to the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). This is the component of the IMF that is expected to exert the greatest influence over the structure of the magnetopause and the processes responsible for energy transfer into the magnetosphere. The IMF was northward immediately prior to and following the passage of the MESSENGER spacecraft through this small magnetosphere. However, several-minute episodes of southward IMF were observed in the magnetosheath during the inbound portion of the encounter. Evidence for reconnection at the dayside magnetopause in the form of welldeveloped flux transfer events (FTEs) was observed in the magnetosheath following some of

MESSENGER Magnetic Field Observations of Upstream Ultra-Low Frequency Waves at Mercury

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le, G.; Chi, P. J.; Boardsen, S.; Blanco-Cano, X.; Anderosn, B. J.; Korth, H.

2012-01-01

The region upstream from a planetary bow shock is a natural plasma laboratory containing a variety of wave particle phenomena. The study of foreshocks other than the Earth's is important for extending our understanding of collisionless shocks and foreshock physics since the bow shock strength varies with heliocentric distance from the Sun, and the sizes of the bow shocks are different at different planets. The Mercury's bow shock is unique in our solar system as it is produced by low Mach number solar wind blowing over a small magnetized body with a predominately radial interplanetary magnetic field. Previous observations of Mercury upstream ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves came exclusively from two Mercury flybys of Mariner 10. The MESSENGER orbiter data enable us to study of upstream waves in the Mercury's foreshock in depth. This paper reports an overview of upstream ULF waves in the Mercury's foreshock using high-time resolution magnetic field data, 20 samples per second, from the MESSENGER spacecraft. The most common foreshock waves have frequencies near 2 Hz, with properties similar to the I-Hz waves in the Earth's foreshock. They are present in both the flyby data and in every orbit of the orbital data we have surveyed. The most common wave phenomenon in the Earth's foreshock is the large-amplitude 30-s waves, but similar waves at Mercury have frequencies at near 0.1 Hz and occur only sporadically with short durations (a few wave cycles). Superposed on the "30-s" waves, there are spectral peaks at near 0.6 Hz, not reported previously in Mariner 10 data. We will discuss wave properties and their occurrence characteristics in this paper.

FOREWORD: Focus on Materials Analysis and Processing in Magnetic Fields Focus on Materials Analysis and Processing in Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakka, Yoshio; Hirota, Noriyuki; Horii, Shigeru; Ando, Tsutomu

2009-03-01

Recently, interest in the applications of feeble (diamagnetic and paramagnetic) magnetic materials has grown, whereas the popularity of ferromagnetic materials remains steady and high. This trend is due to the progress of superconducting magnet technology, particularly liquid-helium-free superconducting magnets that can generate magnetic fields of 10 T and higher. As the magnetic energy is proportional to the square of the applied magnetic field, the magnetic energy of such 10 T magnets is in excess of 10 000 times that of conventional 0.1 T permanent magnets. Consequently, many interesting phenomena have been observed over the last decade, such as the Moses effect, magnetic levitation and the alignment of feeble magnetic materials. Researchers in this area are widely spread around the world, but their number in Japan is relatively high, which might explain the success of magnetic field science and technology in Japan. Processing in magnetic fields is a rapidly expanding research area with a wide range of promising applications in materials science. The 3rd International Workshop on Materials Analysis and Processing in Magnetic Fields (MAP3), which was held on 14-16 May 2008 at the University of Tokyo, Japan, focused on various topics including magnetic field effects on chemical, physical, biological, electrochemical, thermodynamic and hydrodynamic phenomena; magnetic field effects on the crystal growth and processing of materials; diamagnetic levitation, the magneto-Archimedes effect, spin chemistry, magnetic orientation, control of structure by magnetic fields, magnetic separation and purification, magnetic-field-induced phase transitions, properties of materials in high magnetic fields, the development of NMR and MRI, medical applications of magnetic fields, novel magnetic phenomena, physical property measurement by magnetic fields, and the generation of high magnetic fields. This focus issue compiles 13 key papers selected from the proceedings of MAP3. Other

Tracing Magnetic Fields With The Polarization Of Submillimeter Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Heshou; Yan, Huirong

2017-10-01

Magnetic fields play important roles in many astrophysical processes. However, there is no universal diagnostic for the magnetic fields in the interstellar medium (ISM) and each magnetic tracer has its limitation. Any new detection method is thus valuable. Theoretical studies have shown that submillimeter fine-structure lines are polarized due to atomic alignment by Ultraviolet (UV) photon-excitation, which opens up a new avenue to probe interstellar magnetic fields. The method is applicable to all radiative-excitation dominant region, e.g., H II Regions, PDRs. The polarization of the submillimeter fine-structure lines induced by atomic alignment could be substantial and the applicability of using the spectro-polarimetry of atomic lines to trace magnetic fields has been supported by synthetic observations of simulated ISM in our recent paper. Our results demonstrate that the polarization of submillimeter atomic lines is a powerful magnetic tracer and add great value to the observational studies of the submilimeter astronomy.

Indoor localization using magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathapati Subbu, Kalyan Sasidhar

Indoor localization consists of locating oneself inside new buildings. GPS does not work indoors due to multipath reflection and signal blockage. WiFi based systems assume ubiquitous availability and infrastructure based systems require expensive installations, hence making indoor localization an open problem. This dissertation consists of solving the problem of indoor localization by thoroughly exploiting the indoor ambient magnetic fields comprising mainly of disturbances termed as anomalies in the Earth's magnetic field caused by pillars, doors and elevators in hallways which are ferromagnetic in nature. By observing uniqueness in magnetic signatures collected from different campus buildings, the work presents the identification of landmarks and guideposts from these signatures and further develops magnetic maps of buildings - all of which can be used to locate and navigate people indoors. To understand the reason behind these anomalies, first a comparison between the measured and model generated Earth's magnetic field is made, verifying the presence of a constant field without any disturbances. Then by modeling the magnetic field behavior of different pillars such as steel reinforced concrete, solid steel, and other structures like doors and elevators, the interaction of the Earth's field with the ferromagnetic fields is described thereby explaining the causes of the uniqueness in the signatures that comprise these disturbances. Next, by employing the dynamic time warping algorithm to account for time differences in signatures obtained from users walking at different speeds, an indoor localization application capable of classifying locations using the magnetic signatures is developed solely on the smart phone. The application required users to walk short distances of 3-6 m anywhere in hallway to be located with accuracies of 80-99%. The classification framework was further validated with over 90% accuracies using model generated magnetic signatures representing

Diffusion of Magnetic Field and Removal of Magnetic Flux from Clouds Via Turbulent Reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos-Lima, R.; Lazarian, A.; de Gouveia Dal Pino, E. M.; Cho, J.

2010-05-01

The diffusion of astrophysical magnetic fields in conducting fluids in the presence of turbulence depends on whether magnetic fields can change their topology via reconnection in highly conducting media. Recent progress in understanding fast magnetic reconnection in the presence of turbulence reassures that the magnetic field behavior in computer simulations and turbulent astrophysical environments is similar, as far as magnetic reconnection is concerned. This makes it meaningful to perform MHD simulations of turbulent flows in order to understand the diffusion of magnetic field in astrophysical environments. Our studies of magnetic field diffusion in turbulent medium reveal interesting new phenomena. First of all, our three-dimensional MHD simulations initiated with anti-correlating magnetic field and gaseous density exhibit at later times a de-correlation of the magnetic field and density, which corresponds well to the observations of the interstellar media. While earlier studies stressed the role of either ambipolar diffusion or time-dependent turbulent fluctuations for de-correlating magnetic field and density, we get the effect of permanent de-correlation with one fluid code, i.e., without invoking ambipolar diffusion. In addition, in the presence of gravity and turbulence, our three-dimensional simulations show the decrease of the magnetic flux-to-mass ratio as the gaseous density at the center of the gravitational potential increases. We observe this effect both in the situations when we start with equilibrium distributions of gas and magnetic field and when we follow the evolution of collapsing dynamically unstable configurations. Thus, the process of turbulent magnetic field removal should be applicable both to quasi-static subcritical molecular clouds and cores and violently collapsing supercritical entities. The increase of the gravitational potential as well as the magnetization of the gas increases the segregation of the mass and magnetic flux in the

DO THE LEGS OF MAGNETIC CLOUDS CONTAIN TWISTED FLUX-ROPE MAGNETIC FIELDS?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Owens, M. J.

2016-02-20

Magnetic clouds (MCs) are a subset of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) characterized primarily by a smooth rotation in the magnetic field direction indicative of the presence of a magnetic flux rope. Energetic particle signatures suggest MC flux ropes remain magnetically connected to the Sun at both ends, leading to widely used model of global MC structure as an extended flux rope, with a loop-like axis stretching out from the Sun into the heliosphere and back to the Sun. The time of flight of energetic particles, however, suggests shorter magnetic field line lengths than such a continuous twisted flux ropemore » would produce. In this study, two simple models are compared with observed flux rope axis orientations of 196 MCs to show that the flux rope structure is confined to the MC leading edge. The MC “legs,” which magnetically connect the flux rope to the Sun, are not recognizable as MCs and thus are unlikely to contain twisted flux rope fields. Spacecraft encounters with these non-flux rope legs may provide an explanation for the frequent observation of non-MC ICMEs.« less

Parahydrogen-enhanced zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theis, T.; Ganssle, P.; Kervern, G.; Knappe, S.; Kitching, J.; Ledbetter, M. P.; Budker, D.; Pines, A.

2011-07-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance, conventionally detected in magnetic fields of several tesla, is a powerful analytical tool for the determination of molecular identity, structure and function. With the advent of prepolarization methods and detection schemes using atomic magnetometers or superconducting quantum interference devices, interest in NMR in fields comparable to the Earth's magnetic field and below (down to zero field) has been revived. Despite the use of superconducting quantum interference devices or atomic magnetometers, low-field NMR typically suffers from low sensitivity compared with conventional high-field NMR. Here we demonstrate direct detection of zero-field NMR signals generated through parahydrogen-induced polarization, enabling high-resolution NMR without the use of any magnets. The sensitivity is sufficient to observe spectra exhibiting 13C-1H scalar nuclear spin-spin couplings (known as J couplings) in compounds with 13C in natural abundance, without the need for signal averaging. The resulting spectra show distinct features that aid chemical fingerprinting.

Enhancement of sedimentation and coagulation with static magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zieliński, Marcin; Dębowski, Marcin; Hajduk, Anna; Rusanowska, Paulina

2017-11-01

The static magnetic field can be an alternative method for wastewater treatment. It has been proved that this physical factor, accelerates the biochemical processes, catalyzes advanced oxidation, intensifies anaerobic and aerobic processes or reduces swelling of activated sludge. There are also reports proving the positive impact of the static magnetic field on the coagulation and sedimentation, as well as the conditioning and dewatering of sludge. In order to be applied in larger scale the published results should be verified and confirmed. In the studies, the enhancement of sedimentation by the static magnetic field was observed. The best sedimentation was noted in the experiment, where magnetizers were placed on activated sludge bioreactor and secondary settling tank. No effect of the static magnetic field on coagulation with the utilization of PIX 113 was observed. However, the static magnetic field enhanced coagulation with the utilization of PAX-XL9. The results suggest that increased sedimentation of colloids and activated sludge, can in practice mean a reduction in the size of the necessary equipment for sedimentation with an unchanged efficiency of the process.

Magnetic field dependent electronic transport of Mn4 single-molecule magnet.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haque, F.; Langhirt, M.; Henderson, J. J.; Del Barco, E.; Taguchi, T.; Christou, G.

2010-03-01

We have performed single-electron transport measurements on a Mn4 single-molecule magnet (SMM) in where amino groups were added to electrically protect the magnetic core and to increase the stability of the molecule when deposited on the single-electron transistor (SET) chip. A three-terminal SET with nano-gap electro-migrated gold electrodes and a naturally oxidized Aluminum back gate. Experiments were conducted at temperatures down to 230mK in the presence of high magnetic fields generated by a superconducting vector magnet. Mn4 molecules were deposited from solution to form a mono-layer. The optimum deposition time was determined by AFM analysis on atomically flat gold surfaces. We have observed Coulomb blockade an electronic excitations that curve with the magnetic field and present zero-field splitting, which represents evidence of magnetic anisotropy. Level anticrossings and large excitations slopes are associated with the behavior of molecular states with high spin values (S ˜ 9), as expected from Mn4.

Ultracold atoms in strong synthetic magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketterle, Wolfgang

2015-03-01

The Harper Hofstadter Hamiltonian describes charged particles in the lowest band of a lattice at high magnetic fields. This Hamiltonian can be realized with ultracold atoms using laser assisted tunneling which imprints the same phase into the wavefunction of neutral atoms as a magnetic field dose for electrons. I will describe our observation of a bosonic superfluid in a magnetic field with half a flux quantum per lattice unit cell, and discuss new possibilities for implementing spin-orbit coupling. Work done in collaboration with C.J. Kennedy, G.A. Siviloglou, H. Miyake, W.C. Burton, and Woo Chang Chung.

Nonlinear force-free field modeling of the solar magnetic carpet and comparison with SDO/HMI and Sunrise/IMAX observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chitta, L. P.; Kariyappa, R.; Van Ballegooijen, A. A.

2014-10-01

In the quiet solar photosphere, the mixed polarity fields form a magnetic carpet that continuously evolves due to dynamical interaction between the convective motions and magnetic field. This interplay is a viable source to heat the solar atmosphere. In this work, we used the line-of-sight (LOS) magnetograms obtained from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment instrument on the Sunrise balloon-borne observatory, as time-dependent lower boundary conditions, to study the evolution of the coronal magnetic field. We use a magneto-frictional relaxation method, including hyperdiffusion, to produce a time series of three-dimensional nonlinearmore » force-free fields from a sequence of photospheric LOS magnetograms. Vertical flows are added up to a height of 0.7 Mm in the modeling to simulate the non-force-freeness at the photosphere-chromosphere layers. Among the derived quantities, we study the spatial and temporal variations of the energy dissipation rate and energy flux. Our results show that the energy deposited in the solar atmosphere is concentrated within 2 Mm of the photosphere and there is not sufficient energy flux at the base of the corona to cover radiative and conductive losses. Possible reasons and implications are discussed. Better observational constraints of the magnetic field in the chromosphere are crucial to understand the role of the magnetic carpet in coronal heating.« less

The Galactic Magnetic Field as Viewed from the VLA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Eck, Cameron; Brown, Jo-Anne

2009-05-01

Interstellar magnetic fields play critical roles in many astrophysical processes. Yet despite their importance, our knowledge about magnetic fields in our Galaxy remains limited. For the field within the Milky Way much of what we do know comes from radio astronomy, through observations of polarization and Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of extragalactic sources and pulsars. A high angular density of RM measurements in several critical areas of the Galaxy is needed to clarify the Galactic magnetic field structure. Understanding the overall structure of the magnetic field will subsequently help us determine the origin and evolution of the field. In an effort to determine the overall structure of the field, Sun et al. (2008) produced 3 models of the Galactic magnetic field based on RM measurements available at the time. These models made distinct predictions for RMs in a region of the inner Galaxy at low Galactic latitude. Using observations made with the Very Large Array (VLA), we have determined RMs for sources in this critical region. In this talk we will present the results of our study and show how the RMs strongly support the ASS+RING model.

Resonance magnetoplasticity in ultralow magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alshits, V. I.; Darinskaya, E. V.; Koldaeva, M. V.; Petrzhik, E. A.

2016-09-01

Resonance relaxation displacements of dislocations in NaCl crystals placed in crossed static and alternating ultralow magnetic fields in the electron paramagnetic resonance scheme are discussed. The Earth's magnetic field B Earth ≈ 50μT and other fields in the range of 26-261 μT are used as the static field. New strongly anisotropic properties of the effect have been revealed. Frequency spectra including numerous peaks of paths at low pump frequencies beginning with 10 kHz, as well as the quartet of equidistant peaks at high frequencies ( 1.4 MHz at B= B Earth), have been measured. The effect is also observed in the pulsed pump field with a resonance duration of 0.5 μs. Resonance changes have been detected in the microhardness of ZnO, triglycine sulfate, and potassium hydrogen phthalate crystals after their exposure in the Earth's magnetic field in the same electron paramagnetic resonance scheme.

Observations of a field-aligned ion/ion-beam instability in a magnetized laboratory plasma

DOE PAGES

Heuer, P. V.; Weidl, M. S.; Dorst, R. S.; ...

2018-03-01

Collisionless coupling between super Alfvénic ions and an ambient plasma parallel to a background magnetic field is mediated by a set of electromagnetic ion/ion-beam instabilities including the resonant right hand instability (RHI). To study this coupling and its role in parallel shock formation, a new experimental configuration at the University of California, Los Angeles utilizes high-energy and high-repetition-rate lasers to create a super-Alfvénic field-aligned debris plasma within an ambient plasma in the Large Plasma Device. We used a time-resolved fluorescence monochromator and an array of Langmuir probes to characterize the laser plasma velocity distribution and density. The debris ions weremore » observed to be sufficiently super-Alfvénic and dense to excite the RHI. Measurements with magnetic flux probes exhibited a right-hand circularly polarized frequency chirp consistent with the excitation of the RHI near the laser target. To conclude, we compared measurements to 2D hybrid simulations of the experiment.« less

Observations of a field-aligned ion/ion-beam instability in a magnetized laboratory plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heuer, P. V.; Weidl, M. S.; Dorst, R. S.

Collisionless coupling between super Alfvénic ions and an ambient plasma parallel to a background magnetic field is mediated by a set of electromagnetic ion/ion-beam instabilities including the resonant right hand instability (RHI). To study this coupling and its role in parallel shock formation, a new experimental configuration at the University of California, Los Angeles utilizes high-energy and high-repetition-rate lasers to create a super-Alfvénic field-aligned debris plasma within an ambient plasma in the Large Plasma Device. We used a time-resolved fluorescence monochromator and an array of Langmuir probes to characterize the laser plasma velocity distribution and density. The debris ions weremore » observed to be sufficiently super-Alfvénic and dense to excite the RHI. Measurements with magnetic flux probes exhibited a right-hand circularly polarized frequency chirp consistent with the excitation of the RHI near the laser target. To conclude, we compared measurements to 2D hybrid simulations of the experiment.« less

Magnetic droplet soliton nucleation in oblique fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohseni, Morteza; Hamdi, M.; Yazdi, H. F.; Banuazizi, S. A. H.; Chung, S.; Sani, S. R.; Åkerman, Johan; Mohseni, Majid

2018-05-01

We study the auto-oscillating magnetodynamics in orthogonal spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) as a function of the out-of-plane (OOP) magnetic-field angle. In perpendicular fields and at OOP field angles down to approximately 50°, we observe the nucleation of a droplet. However, for field angles below 50°, experiments indicate that the droplet gives way to propagating spin waves, in agreement with our micromagnetic simulations. Theoretical calculations show that the physical mechanism behind these observations is the sign changing of spin-wave nonlinearity (SWN) by angle. In addition, we show that the presence of a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layer in the system reverses the angular dependence of the SWN and dynamics in STNOs with respect to the known behavior determined for the in-plane magnetic anisotropy free layer. Our results are of fundamental interest in understanding the rich dynamics of nanoscale solitons and spin-wave dynamics in STNOs.

Electric-field control of magnetic domain-wall velocity in ultrathin cobalt with perpendicular magnetization.

PubMed

Chiba, D; Kawaguchi, M; Fukami, S; Ishiwata, N; Shimamura, K; Kobayashi, K; Ono, T

2012-06-06

Controlling the displacement of a magnetic domain wall is potentially useful for information processing in magnetic non-volatile memories and logic devices. A magnetic domain wall can be moved by applying an external magnetic field and/or electric current, and its velocity depends on their magnitudes. Here we show that the applying an electric field can change the velocity of a magnetic domain wall significantly. A field-effect device, consisting of a top-gate electrode, a dielectric insulator layer, and a wire-shaped ferromagnetic Co/Pt thin layer with perpendicular anisotropy, was used to observe it in a finite magnetic field. We found that the application of the electric fields in the range of ± 2-3 MV cm(-1) can change the magnetic domain wall velocity in its creep regime (10(6)-10(3) m s(-1)) by more than an order of magnitude. This significant change is due to electrical modulation of the energy barrier for the magnetic domain wall motion.

Determination of the coronal magnetic field from vector magnetograph data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikic, Zoran

1991-01-01

A new algorithm was developed, tested, and applied to determine coronal magnetic fields above solar active regions. The coronal field above NOAA active region AR5747 was successfully estimated on 20 Oct. 1989 from data taken at the Mees Solar Observatory of the Univ. of Hawaii. It was shown that observational data can be used to obtain realistic estimates of coronal magnetic fields. The model has significantly extended the realism with which the coronal magnetic field can be inferred from observations. The understanding of coronal phenomena will be greatly advanced by a reliable technique, such as the one presented, for deducing the detailed spatial structure of the coronal field. The payoff from major current and proposed NASA observational efforts is heavily dependent on the success with which the coronal field can be inferred from vector magnetograms. In particular, the present inability to reliably obtain the coronal field has been a major obstacle to the theoretical advancement of solar flare theory and prediction. The results have shown that the evolutional algorithm can be used to estimate coronal magnetic fields.

Magnetic skyrmions in confined geometries: Effect of the magnetic field and the disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juge, Roméo; Je, Soong-Geun; de Souza Chaves, Dayane; Pizzini, Stefania; Buda-Prejbeanu, Liliana D.; Aballe, Lucia; Foerster, Michael; Locatelli, Andrea; Menteş, Tevfik Onur; Sala, Alessandro; Maccherozzi, Francesco; Dhesi, Sarnjeet S.; Auffret, Stéphane; Gautier, Eric; Gaudin, Gilles; Vogel, Jan; Boulle, Olivier

2018-06-01

We report on the effect of the lateral confinement and a perpendicular magnetic field on isolated room-temperature magnetic skyrmions in sputtered Pt/Co/MgO nanotracks and nanodots. We show that the skyrmions size can be easily tuned by playing on the lateral dimensions of the nanostructures and by using external magnetic field amplitudes of a few mT, which allow to reach sub-100 nm diameters. Our XMCD-PEEM observations also highlight the important role of the pinning on the skyrmions size and stability under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the effect of local pinning can be well accounted for by considering the thin film grain structure with local anisotropy variations and reproduce well the dependence of the skyrmion diameter on the magnetic field and the geometry.

Lightning Magnetic Field Measurements around Langmuir Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, M.; Krehbiel, P. R.; Rison, W.; Aulich, G. D.; Edens, H. E.; Sonnenfeld, R. G.

2010-12-01

In the absence of artificial conductors, underground lightning transients are produced by diffusion of the horizontal surface magnetic field of a return stroke vertically downward into the conducting earth. The changing magnetic flux produces an orthogonal horizontal electric field, generating a dispersive, lossy transverse electromagnetic wave that penetrates a hundred meters or more into the ground according to the skin depth of the medium. In turn, the electric field produces currents that flow toward or away from the channel to ground depending on the stroke polarity. The underground transients can produce large radial horizontal potential gradients depending on the distance from the discharge and depth below the surface. In this study we focus on the surface excitation field. The goal of the work is to compare measurements of surface magnetic field waveforms B(t) at different distances from natural lightning discharges with simple and detailed models of the return stroke fields. In addition to providing input to the diffusion mechanism, the results should aid in further understanding return stroke field generation processes. The observational data are to be obtained using orthogonal sets of straightened Rogowski coils to measure magnetic field waveforms in N-S and E-W directions. The waveforms are sampled at 500 kS/s over 1.024 second time intervals and recorded directly onto secure digital cards. The instrument operates off of battery power for several days or weeks at a time in remote, unattended locations and measures magnetic field strengths of up to several tens of amperes/meter. The observations are being made in conjunction with collocated slow electric field change measurements and under good 3-D lightning mapping array (LMA) and fast electric field change coverage.

Emergent kink stability of a magnetized plasma jet injected into a transverse background magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yue; Gilmore, Mark; Hsu, Scott C.; Fisher, Dustin M.; Lynn, Alan G.

2017-11-01

We report experimental results on the injection of a magnetized plasma jet into a transverse background magnetic field in the HelCat linear plasma device at the University of New Mexico [M. Gilmore et al., J. Plasma Phys. 81(1), 345810104 (2015)]. After the plasma jet leaves the plasma-gun muzzle, a tension force arising from an increasing curvature of the background magnetic field induces in the jet a sheared axial-flow gradient above the theoretical kink-stabilization threshold. We observe that this emergent sheared axial flow stabilizes the n = 1 kink mode in the jet, whereas a kink instability is observed in the jet when there is no background magnetic field present.

Magnetic field generator

DOEpatents

Krienin, Frank

1990-01-01

A magnetic field generating device provides a useful magnetic field within a specific retgion, while keeping nearby surrounding regions virtually field free. By placing an appropriate current density along a flux line of the source, the stray field effects of the generator may be contained. One current carrying structure may support a truncated cosine distribution, and it may be surrounded by a current structure which follows a flux line that would occur in a full coaxial double cosine distribution. Strong magnetic fields may be generated and contained using superconducting cables to approximate required current surfaces.

Effects of magnetic fields on photoionized pillars and globules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackey, Jonathan; Lim, Andrew J.

2011-04-01

The effects of initially uniform magnetic fields on the formation and evolution of dense pillars and cometary globules at the boundaries of H II regions are investigated using 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulations. It is shown, in agreement with previous work, that a strong initial magnetic field is required to significantly alter the non-magnetized dynamics because the energy input from photoionization is so large that it remains the dominant driver of the dynamics in most situations. Additionally, it is found that for weak and medium field strengths an initially perpendicular field is swept into alignment with the pillar during its dynamical evolution, matching magnetic field observations of the 'Pillars of Creation' in M16 and also some cometary globules. A strong perpendicular magnetic field remains in its initial configuration and also confines the photoevaporation flow into a bar-shaped dense ionized ribbon which partially shields the ionization front and would be readily observable in recombination lines. A simple analytic model is presented to explain the properties of this bright linear structure. These results show that magnetic field strengths in star-forming regions can in principle be significantly constrained by the morphology of structures which form at the borders of H II regions.

North south asymmetry in the photospheric and coronal magnetic fields observed by different instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtanen, Ilpo; Mursula, Kalevi

2015-04-01

Several recent studies have shown that the solar and heliospheric magnetic fields are north-south asymmetric. The southward shift of the Heliospheric current sheet (HCS) (the so-called bashful ballerina phenomenon) is a persistent pattern, which occurs typically for about three years during the late declining phase of solar cycle. We study here the hemispherical asymmetry in the photospheric and coronal magnetic fields using Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO), Mount Wilson, Kitt Peak, Solis, SOHO/MDI and SDO/HMI measurements of the photospheric magnetic field since the 1970s and the potential field source surface (PFSS) model.Multipole analysis of the photospheric magnetic field has shown that the bashful ballerina phenomenon is a consequence of g20 quadrupole term, which is oppositely signed to the dipole moment. We find that, at least during the four recent solar cycles, the g20 reflects the larger magnitude of the southern polar field during a few years in the declining phase of the cycle. Although the overall magnetic activity during the full solar cycle is not very different in the two hemispheres, the temporal distribution of activity is different, contributing to the asymmetry. The used data sets are in general in a good agreement with each other, but there are some significant deviations, especially in WSO data. Also, the data from Kitt Peak 512 channel magnetograph is known to suffer from zero level errors.We also note that the lowest harmonic coefficients do not scale with the overall magnitude in photospheric synoptic magnetic maps. Scaling factors based on histogram techniques can be as large as 10 (from Wilcox to HMI), but the corresponding difference in dipole strength is typically less than two. This is because the polar field has a dominant contribution to the dipole and quadrupole components. This should be noted, e.g., when using synoptic maps as input for coronal models.

Magnetic field line draping in the plasma depletion layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibeck, D. G.; Lepping, R. P.; Lazarus, A. J.

1990-01-01

Simultaneous IMP 8 solar wind and ISEE 1/2 observations for a northern dawn ISEE 1/2 magnetopause crossing on November 6, 1977. During this crossing, ISEE 1/2 observed quasi-periodic pulses of magnetosheathlike plasma on northward magnetic field lines. The ISEE 1/2 observations were originally interpreted as evidence for strong diffusion of magnetosheath plasma across the magnetopause and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the inner edge of the low-latitude boundary layer. An alternate explanation, in terms of magnetic field merging and flux transfer events, has also been advocated. In this paper, a third interpretation is proposed in terms of quasi-periodic magnetopause motion which causes the satellites to repeatedly exit the magnetosphere and observe draped northward magnetosheath magnetic field lines in the plasma depletion layer.

Low-degree Structure in Mercury's Planetary Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Brian J.; Johnson, Catherine L.; Korth, Haje; Winslow, Reka M.; Borovsky, Joseph E.; Purucker, Michael E.; Slavin, James A.; Solomon, Sean C.; Zuber, Maria T.; McNutt, Ralph L. Jr.

2012-01-01

The structure of Mercury's internal magnetic field has been determined from analysis of orbital Magnetometer measurements by the MESSENGER spacecraft. We identified the magnetic equator on 531 low-altitude and 120 high-altitude equator crossings from the zero in the radial cylindrical magnetic field component, Beta (sub rho). The low-altitude crossings are offset 479 +/- 6 km northward, indicating an offset of the planetary dipole. The tilt of the magnetic pole relative to the planetary spin axis is less than 0.8 deg.. The high-altitude crossings yield a northward offset of the magnetic equator of 486 +/- 74 km. A field with only nonzero dipole and octupole coefficients also matches the low-altitude observations but cannot yield off-equatorial Beta (sub rho) = 0 at radial distances greater than 3520 km. We compared offset dipole and other descriptions of the field with vector field observations below 600 km for 13 longitudinally distributed, magnetically quiet orbits. An offset dipole with southward directed moment of 190 nT-R-cube (sub M) yields root-mean-square (RMS) residuals below 14 nT, whereas a field with only dipole and octupole terms tuned to match the polar field and the low-altitude magnetic equator crossings yields RMS residuals up to 68 nT. Attributing the residuals from the offset-dipole field to axial degree 3 and 4 contributions we estimate that the Gauss coefficient magnitudes for the additional terms are less than 4% and 7%, respectively, relative to the dipole. The axial alignment and prominent quadrupole are consistent with a non-convecting layer above a deep dynamo in Mercury's fluid outer core.

IRIS Observations of Magnetic Interactions in the Solar Atmosphere between Preexisting and Emerging Magnetic Fields. I. Overall Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guglielmino, Salvo L.; Zuccarello, Francesca; Young, Peter R.; Murabito, Mariarita; Romano, Paolo

2018-04-01

We report multiwavelength ultraviolet observations taken with the IRIS satellite, concerning the emergence phase in the upper chromosphere and transition region of an emerging flux region (EFR) embedded in the preexisting field of active region NOAA 12529 in the Sun. IRIS data are complemented by full-disk observations of the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, relevant to the photosphere and the corona. The photospheric configuration of the EFR is also analyzed by measurements taken with the spectropolarimeter on board the Hinode satellite, when the EFR was fully developed. Recurrent intense brightenings that resemble UV bursts, with counterparts in all coronal passbands, are identified at the edges of the EFR. Jet activity is also observed at chromospheric and coronal levels, near the observed brightenings. The analysis of the IRIS line profiles reveals the heating of dense plasma in the low solar atmosphere and the driving of bidirectional high-velocity flows with speed up to 100 km s‑1 at the same locations. Compared with previous observations and numerical models, these signatures suggest evidence of several long-lasting, small-scale magnetic reconnection episodes between the emerging bipole and the ambient field. This process leads to the cancellation of a preexisting photospheric flux concentration and appears to occur higher in the atmosphere than usually found in UV bursts, explaining the observed coronal counterparts.

Effect of axial magnetic field on a 2.45 GHz permanent magnet ECR ion source.

PubMed

Nakamura, T; Wada, H; Asaji, T; Furuse, M

2016-02-01

Herein, we conduct a fundamental study to improve the generation efficiency of a multi-charged ion source using argon. A magnetic field of our electron cyclotron resonance ion source is composed of a permanent magnet and a solenoid coil. Thereby, the axial magnetic field in the chamber can be tuned. Using the solenoid coil, we varied the magnetic field strength in the plasma chamber and measured the ion beam current extracted at the electrode. We observed an approximately three times increase in the Ar(4+) ion beam current when the magnetic field on the extractor-electrode side of the chamber was weakened. From our results, we can confirm that the multi-charged ion beam current changes depending on magnetic field intensity in the plasma chamber.

Driven acoustic oscillations within a vertical magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hindman, Bradley W.; Zweibel, Ellen G.; Cally, P. S.

1995-01-01

The effects of a vertical magnetic field on p-mode frequencies, line widths, and eigenfunctions, are examined. A solar model, consisting of a neutrally stable polytropic interior matched to an isothermal chromosphere, is applied. The p-modes are produced by a spatially distributed driver. The atmosphere is threaded by a constant vertical magnetic field. The frequency shifts due to the vertical magnetic field are found to be much smaller than the shifts caused by horizontal fields of similar strength. A large vertical field of 2000 G produces shifts of several nHz. It is found that the frequency shifts decrease with increasing frequency and increase with field strength. The coupling of the acoustic fast mode to the escaping slow modes is inefficient. Constant vertical magnetic field models are therefore incapable of explaining the high level of absorption observed in sunspots and plage.

Magnetic Fields in the Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Susan

2017-01-01

The Milky Way is magnetized. Invisible magnetic fields thread the Galaxy on all scales and play a vital but still poorly understood role in regulating flows of gas in the interstellar medium and the formation of stars. I will present highlights from my thesis work on magnetic fields in the diffuse interstellar gas and in accretion disks. At high Galactic latitudes, diffuse neutral hydrogen is organized into an intricate network of slender linear features. I will show that these neutral hydrogen “fibers” are extremely well aligned with the ambient magnetic field as traced by both starlight polarization (Clark et al. 2014) and Planck 353 GHz polarized dust emission (Clark et al. 2015). The structure of the neutral interstellar medium is more tightly coupled to the magnetic field than previously known. Because the orientation of neutral hydrogen is an independent predictor of the local dust polarization angle, our work provides a new tool in the search for inflationary gravitational wave B-mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background, which is currently limited by dust foreground contamination. Magnetic fields also drive accretion in astrophysical disks via the magnetorotational instability (MRI). I analytically derive the behavior of this instability in the weakly nonlinear regime and show that the saturated state of the instability depends on the geometry of the background magnetic field. The analytical model describes the behavior of the MRI in a Taylor-Couette flow, a set-up used by experimentalists in the ongoing quest to observe MRI in the laboratory (Clark & Oishi 2016a, 2016b).

Magnetic field generation, Weibel-mediated collisionless shocks, and magnetic reconnection in colliding laser-produced plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, W.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Fiksel, G.

2016-10-01

Colliding plasmas are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments and allow conversion of kinetic energy into heat and, most importantly, the acceleration of particles to extremely high energies to form the cosmic ray spectrum. In collisionless astrophysical plasmas, kinetic plasma processes govern the interaction and particle acceleration processes, including shock formation, self-generation of magnetic fields by kinetic plasma instabilities, and magnetic field compression and reconnection. How each of these contribute to the observed spectra of cosmic rays is not fully understood, in particular both shock acceleration processes and magnetic reconnection have been proposed. We will review recent results of laboratory astrophysics experiments conducted at high-power, inertial-fusion-class laser facilities, which have uncovered significant results relevant to these processes. Recent experiments have now observed the long-sought Weibel instability between two interpenetrating high temperature plasma plumes, which has been proposed to generate the magnetic field necessary for shock formation in unmagnetized regimes. Secondly, magnetic reconnection has been studied in systems of colliding plasmas using either self-generated magnetic fields or externally applied magnetic fields, and show extremely fast reconnection rates, indicating fast destruction of magnetic energy and further possibilities to accelerate particles. Finally, we highlight kinetic plasma simulations, which have proven to be essential tools in the design and interpretation of these experiments.

Observational Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection for Brightenings and Transition Region Arcades in IRIS Observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Jie; Li, Hui; Feng, Li

By using a new method of forced-field extrapolation, we study the emerging flux region AR11850 observed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and Solar Dynamical Observatory . Our results suggest that the bright points (BPs) in this emerging region exhibit responses in lines formed from the upper photosphere to the transition region, which have relatively similar morphologies. They have an oscillation of several minutes according to the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly data at 1600 and 1700 Å. The ratio between the BP intensities measured in 1600 and 1700 Å filtergrams reveals that these BPs are heated differently. Our analysis of themore » Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager vector magnetic field and the corresponding topology in AR11850 indicates that the BPs are located at the polarity inversion line and most of them are related to magnetic reconnection or cancelation. The heating of the BPs might be different due to different magnetic topology. We find that the heating due to the magnetic cancelation would be stronger than the case of bald patch reconnection. The plasma density rather than the magnetic field strength could play a dominant role in this process. Based on physical conditions in the lower atmosphere, our forced-field extrapolation shows consistent results between the bright arcades visible in slit-jaw image 1400 Å and the extrapolated field lines that pass through the bald patches. It provides reliable observational evidence for testing the mechanism of magnetic reconnection for the BPs and arcades in the emerging flux region, as proposed in simulation studies.« less

Core shifts, magnetic fields and magnetization of extragalactic jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Sikora, Marek; Pjanka, Patryk; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander

2015-07-01

We study the effect of radio-jet core shift, which is a dependence of the position of the jet radio core on the observational frequency. We derive a new method of measuring the jet magnetic field based on both the value of the shift and the observed radio flux, which complements the standard method that assumes equipartition. Using both methods, we re-analyse the blazar sample of Zamaninasab et al. We find that equipartition is satisfied only if the jet opening angle in the radio core region is close to the values found observationally, ≃0.1-0.2 divided by the bulk Lorentz factor, Γj. Larger values, e.g. 1/Γj, would imply magnetic fields much above equipartition. A small jet opening angle implies in turn the magnetization parameter of ≪1. We determine the jet magnetic flux taking into account this effect. We find that the transverse-averaged jet magnetic flux is fully compatible with the model of jet formation due to black hole (BH) spin-energy extraction and the accretion being a magnetically arrested disc (MAD). We calculate the jet average mass-flow rate corresponding to this model and find it consists of a substantial fraction of the mass accretion rate. This suggests the jet composition with a large fraction of baryons. We also calculate the average jet power, and find it moderately exceeds the accretion power, dot{M} c^2, reflecting BH spin energy extraction. We find our results for radio galaxies at low Eddington ratios are compatible with MADs but require a low radiative efficiency, as predicted by standard accretion models.

Magnetic field structure in Monoceros R2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jarrett, T. H.; Novak, G.; Xie, T.; Goldsmith, P. F.

1994-01-01

We have carried out polarimetric observations to investigate the geometry of the magnetic field in the giant molecular cloud Monoceros R2. This study is based upon deep R-band charge coupled device (CCD) polarimetry, covering a total area of 0.5 deg(exp 2) of the giant molecular cloud. The data were calibrated using a new technique that relies on obtaining broad-band photometry of stars simultaneously with polarimetric photometry of the Mon R2 fields, thus providing an accurate means of measuring the electric vectors of starlight which is polarized by the fore-ground dust grains aligned by the magnetic field in the Mon R2 GMC. In this work, (1) we were able to continuously trace magnetic field lines from the largest scales in Mon R2 to the detailed structure of the field in the dense core, as determined from infrared polarimetry; and (2) we have found that the ambient field is apparently modified by a large-scale structure in the Mon R2 cloud. The mean angle of polarization for the complete sample we measured is 158 deg, which is roughly coincident with the local Galactic magnetic field (155 deg). The dispersion in the angle of polarization is 33 deg, similar to that found in the Orion GMC. The dispersion in angle of polarization for stars located along the western side of the three CCD fields is 22 deg. The CCD fields are bisected by a dense ridge of gas defining the boundary of an expanding gas shell that recent observational results at millimeter wavelengths now reveal dominates the Mon R2 GMC. Our results suggest th at the expanding shell has distorted the magnetic field lines extending from the core to the northern gas structure comprising Mon R2.

The interplanetary and solar magnetic field sector structures, 1962 - 1968

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, D. E.

1972-01-01

The interplanetary magnetic field sector structure was observed from late 1962 through 1968. During this time it has been possible to study the manner in which the sector pattern and its relation to the photospheric magnetic field configuration changes from solar minimum to solar maximum. Observations were also made relating sector boundaries to specific regions on the solar disk. These and other observations related to the solar origin of the interplanetary field are briefly reviewed.

Connecting the large- and the small-scale magnetic fields of solar-like stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmann, L. T.; Jardine, M. M.; Mackay, D. H.; Vidotto, A. A.

2018-05-01

A key question in understanding the observed magnetic field topologies of cool stars is the link between the small- and the large-scale magnetic field and the influence of the stellar parameters on the magnetic field topology. We examine various simulated stars to connect the small-scale with the observable large-scale field. The highly resolved 3D simulations we used couple a flux transport model with a non-potential coronal model using a magnetofrictional technique. The surface magnetic field of these simulations is decomposed into spherical harmonics which enables us to analyse the magnetic field topologies on a wide range of length scales and to filter the large-scale magnetic field for a direct comparison with the observations. We show that the large-scale field of the self-consistent simulations fits the observed solar-like stars and is mainly set up by the global dipolar field and the large-scale properties of the flux pattern, e.g. the averaged latitudinal position of the emerging small-scale field and its global polarity pattern. The stellar parameters flux emergence rate, differential rotation and meridional flow affect the large-scale magnetic field topology. An increased flux emergence rate increases the magnetic flux in all field components and an increased differential rotation increases the toroidal field fraction by decreasing the poloidal field. The meridional flow affects the distribution of the magnetic energy across the spherical harmonic modes.

Magnetization of Cloud Cores and Envelopes and Other Observational Consequences of Reconnection Diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarian, A.; Esquivel, A.; Crutcher, R.

2012-10-01

Recent observational results for magnetic fields in molecular clouds reviewed by Crutcher seem to be inconsistent with the predictions of the ambipolar diffusion theory of star formation. These include the measured decrease in mass to flux ratio between envelopes and cores, the failure to detect any self-gravitating magnetically subcritical clouds, the determination of the flat probability distribution function (PDF) of the total magnetic field strengths implying that there are many clouds with very weak magnetic fields, and the observed scaling Bvpropρ2/3 that implies gravitational contraction with weak magnetic fields. We consider the problem of magnetic field evolution in turbulent molecular clouds and discuss the process of magnetic field diffusion mediated by magnetic reconnection. For this process that we termed "reconnection diffusion," we provide a simple physical model and explain that this process is inevitable in view of the present-day understanding of MHD turbulence. We address the issue of the expected magnetization of cores and envelopes in the process of star formation and show that reconnection diffusion provides an efficient removal of magnetic flux that depends only on the properties of MHD turbulence in the core and the envelope. We show that as the amplitude of turbulence as well as the scale of turbulent motions decrease from the envelope to the core of the cloud, the diffusion of the magnetic field is faster in the envelope. As a result, the magnetic flux trapped during the collapse in the envelope is being released faster than the flux trapped in the core, resulting in much weaker fields in envelopes than in cores, as observed. We provide simple semi-analytical model calculations which support this conclusion and qualitatively agree with the observational results. Magnetic reconnection is also consistent with the lack of subcritical self-gravitating clouds, with the observed flat PDF of field strengths, and with the scaling of field

Reduced bispectrum seeded by helical primordial magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hortúa, Héctor Javier; Castañeda, Leonardo, E-mail: hjhortuao@unal.edu.co, E-mail: lcastanedac@unal.edu.co

In this paper, we investigate the effects of helical primordial magnetic fields (PMFs) on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) reduced bispectrum. We derive the full three-point statistics of helical magnetic fields and numerically calculate the even contribution in the collinear configuration. We then numerically compute the CMB reduced bispectrum induced by passive and compensated PMF modes on large angular scales. There is a negative signal on the bispectrum due to the helical terms of the fields and we also observe that the biggest contribution to the bispectrum comes from the non-zero IR cut-off for causal fields, unlike the two-point correlationmore » case. For negative spectral indices, the reduced bispectrum is enhanced by the passive modes. This gives a lower value of the upper limit for the mean amplitude of the magnetic field on a given characteristic scale. However, high values of IR cut-off in the bispectrum, and the helical terms of the magnetic field relaxes this bound. This demonstrates the importance of the IR cut-off and helicity in the study of the nature of PMFs from CMB observations.« less

Electric-field-driven switching of individual magnetic skyrmions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Pin-Jui; Kubetzka, André; Finco, Aurore; Romming, Niklas; von Bergmann, Kirsten; Wiesendanger, Roland

2017-02-01

Controlling magnetism with electric fields is a key challenge to develop future energy-efficient devices. The present magnetic information technology is mainly based on writing processes requiring either local magnetic fields or spin torques, but it has also been demonstrated that magnetic properties can be altered on the application of electric fields. This has been ascribed to changes in magnetocrystalline anisotropy caused by spin-dependent screening and modifications of the band structure, changes in atom positions or differences in hybridization with an adjacent oxide layer. However, the switching between states related by time reversal, for example magnetization up and down as used in the present technology, is not straightforward because the electric field does not break time-reversal symmetry. Several workarounds have been applied to toggle between bistable magnetic states with electric fields, including changes of material composition as a result of electric fields. Here we demonstrate that local electric fields can be used to switch reversibly between a magnetic skyrmion and the ferromagnetic state. These two states are topologically inequivalent, and we find that the direction of the electric field directly determines the final state. This observation establishes the possibility to combine electric-field writing with the recently envisaged skyrmion racetrack-type memories.

Magnetic Field-Vector Measurements in Quiescent Prominences via the Hanle Effect: Analysis of Prominences Observed at Pic-Du-Midi and at Sacramento Peak

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bommier, V.; Leroy, J. L.; Sahal-Brechot, S.

1985-01-01

The Hanle effect method for magnetic field vector diagnostics has now provided results on the magnetic field strength and direction in quiescent prominences, from linear polarization measurements in the He I E sub 3 line, performed at the Pic-du-Midi and at Sacramento Peak. However, there is an inescapable ambiguity in the field vector determination: each polarization measurement provides two field vector solutions symmetrical with respect to the line-of-sight. A statistical analysis capable of solving this ambiguity was applied to the large sample of prominences observed at the Pic-du-Midi (Leroy, et al., 1984); the same method of analysis applied to the prominences observed at Sacramento Peak (Athay, et al., 1983) provides results in agreement on the most probable magnetic structure of prominences; these results are detailed. The statistical results were confirmed on favorable individual cases: for 15 prominences observed at Pic-du-Midi, the two-field vectors are pointing on the same side of the prominence, and the alpha angles are large enough with respect to the measurements and interpretation inaccuracies, so that the field polarity is derived without any ambiguity.

Extragalactic magnetic fields unlikely generated at the electroweak phase transition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wagstaff, Jacques M.; Banerjee, Robi, E-mail: jwagstaff@hs.uni-hamburg.de, E-mail: banerjee@hs.uni-hamburg.de

2016-01-01

In this paper we show that magnetic fields generated at the electroweak phase transition are most likely too weak to explain the void magnetic fields apparently observed today unless they have considerable helicity. We show that, in the simplest estimates, the helicity naturally produced in conjunction with the baryon asymmetry is too small to explain observations, which require a helicity fraction at least of order 10{sup −14}–10{sup −10} depending on the void fields constraint used. Therefore new mechanisms to generate primordial helicity are required if magnetic fields generated during the electroweak phase transition should explain the extragalactic fields.

Asteroseismology can reveal strong internal magnetic fields in red giant stars.

PubMed

Fuller, Jim; Cantiello, Matteo; Stello, Dennis; Garcia, Rafael A; Bildsten, Lars

2015-10-23

Internal stellar magnetic fields are inaccessible to direct observations, and little is known about their amplitude, geometry, and evolution. We demonstrate that strong magnetic fields in the cores of red giant stars can be identified with asteroseismology. The fields can manifest themselves via depressed dipole stellar oscillation modes, arising from a magnetic greenhouse effect that scatters and traps oscillation-mode energy within the core of the star. The Kepler satellite has observed a few dozen red giants with depressed dipole modes, which we interpret as stars with strongly magnetized cores. We find that field strengths larger than ~10(5) gauss may produce the observed depression, and in one case we infer a minimum core field strength of ≈10(7) gauss. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Magnetic Fields and Flows in Open Magnetic Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harrlson P.

2004-01-01

Open magnetic structures connect the solar surface to the heliosphere and are thus of great interest in solar-terrestrial physics. This talk is primarily an observational review of what is known about magnetic fields and particularly flows in such regions with special focus on coronal holes and origins of the fast solar wind. First evidence of the connection between these two features was seen in correlations of Skylab data with in situ measurements of the solar wind soon after the discovery of coronal holes, which are now known to emanate from unipolar magnetic regions at the photosphere. Subsequently many observations of have been made, ranging from oscillations in the underlying photosphere and chromosphere, to possible beginnings of the solar wind as observed by Doppler shifts in high chromospheric and transition-region lines, to coronagraphic time-lapse studies of outward-moving blobs of material which perhaps trace elements of solar-wind plasma. Some of the many unresolved and controversial issues regarding details of these observations and their association with the solar wind will be discussed.

Magnetic Field Apparatus (MFA) Hardware Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Ken; Boody, April; Reed, Dave; Wang, Chung; Stuckey, Bob; Cox, Dave

1999-01-01

The objectives of this study are threefold: (1) Provide insight into water delivery in microgravity and determine optimal germination paper wetting for subsequent seed germination in microgravity; (2) Observe the behavior of water exposed to a strong localized magnetic field in microgravity; and (3) Simulate the flow of fixative (using water) through the hardware. The Magnetic Field Apparatus (MFA) is a new piece of hardware slated to fly on the Space Shuttle in early 2001. MFA is designed to expose plant tissue to magnets in a microgravity environment, deliver water to the plant tissue, record photographic images of plant tissue, and deliver fixative to the plant tissue.

Magnetic field decay in black widow pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendes, Camile; de Avellar, Marcio G. B.; Horvath, J. E.; Souza, Rodrigo A. de; Benvenuto, O. G.; De Vito, M. A.

2018-04-01

We study in this work the evolution of the magnetic field in `redback-black widow' pulsars. Evolutionary calculations of these `spider' systems suggest that first the accretion operates in the redback stage, and later the companion star ablates matter due to winds from the recycled pulsar. It is generally believed that mass accretion by the pulsar results in a rapid decay of the magnetic field when compared to the rate of an isolated neutron star. We study the evolution of the magnetic field in black widow pulsars by solving numerically the induction equation using the modified Crank-Nicolson method with intermittent episodes of mass accretion on to the neutron star. Our results show that the magnetic field does not fall below a minimum value (`bottom field') in spite of the long evolution time of the black widow systems, extending the previous conclusions for much younger low-mass X-ray binary systems. We find that in this scenario, the magnetic field decay is dominated by the accretion rate, and that the existence of a bottom field is likely related to the fact that the surface temperature of the pulsar does not decay as predicted by the current cooling models. We also observe that the impurity of the pulsar crust is not a dominant factor in the decay of magnetic field for the long evolution time of black widow systems.

Electric field with bipolar structure during magnetic reconnection without a guide field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jun

2014-05-01

We present a study on the polarized electric field during the collisionless magnetic reconnection of antiparallel fields using two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The simulations demonstrate clearly that electron holes and electric field with bipolar structure are produced during magnetic reconnection without a guide field. The electric field with bipolar structure can be found near the X-line and on the separatrix and the plasma sheet boundary layer, which is consistent with the observations. These structures will elongate electron's time staying in the diffusion region. In addition, the electric fields with tripolar structures are also found in our simulation.

Magnetic irreversibility: An important amendment in the zero-field-cooling and field-cooling method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira Dias, Fábio; das Neves Vieira, Valdemar; Esperança Nunes, Sabrina; Pureur, Paulo; Schaf, Jacob; Fernanda Farinela da Silva, Graziele; de Paiva Gouvêa, Cristol; Wolff-Fabris, Frederik; Kampert, Erik; Obradors, Xavier; Puig, Teresa; Roa Rovira, Joan Josep

2016-02-01

The present work reports about experimental procedures to correct significant deviations of magnetization data, caused by magnetic relaxation, due to small field cycling by sample transport in the inhomogeneous applied magnetic field of commercial magnetometers. The extensively used method for measuring the magnetic irreversibility by first cooling the sample in zero field, switching on a constant applied magnetic field and measuring the magnetization M(T) while slowly warming the sample, and subsequently measuring M(T) while slowly cooling it back in the same field, is very sensitive even to small displacement of the magnetization curve. In our melt-processed YBaCuO superconducting sample we observed displacements of the irreversibility limit up to 7 K in high fields. Such displacements are detected only on confronting the magnetic irreversibility limit with other measurements, like for instance zero resistance, in which the sample remains fixed and so is not affected by such relaxation. We measured the magnetic irreversibility, Tirr(H), using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) from Quantum Design. The zero resistance data, Tc0(H), were obtained using a PPMS from Quantum Design. On confronting our irreversibility lines with those of zero resistance, we observed that the Tc0(H) data fell several degrees K above the Tirr(H) data, which obviously contradicts the well known properties of superconductivity. In order to get consistent Tirr(H) data in the H-T plane, it was necessary to do a lot of additional measurements as a function of the amplitude of the sample transport and extrapolate the Tirr(H) data for each applied field to zero amplitude.

Magnetic field controlled electronic state and electric field controlled magnetic state in α-Fe1.6Ga0.4O3 oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lone, Abdul Gaffar; Bhowmik, R. N.

2018-04-01

We have prepared α-Fe1.6Ga0.4O3 (Ga doped α-Fe2O3) system in rhombohedral phase. The material has shown room temperature ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties. The existence of magneto-electric coupling at room temperature has been confirmed by the experimental observation of magnetic field controlled electric properties and electric field controlled magnetization. The current-voltage characteristics were controlled by external magnetic field. The magnetic state switching and exchange bias effect are highly sensitive to the polarity and ON and OFF modes of external electric field. Such materials can find novel applications in magneto-electronic devices, especially in the field of electric field controlled spintronics devices and energy storage devices which need low power consumption.

Observations of magnetic field, plasma, and energetic particles during MESSENGER's flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krimigis, Stamatios; Acuna, Mario; Anderson, Brian; Baker, Daniel N.; Gloeckler, George; Gold, Robert; Ho, George; McNutt, Ralph L.; Slavin, James; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.

Our knowledge of Mercury's magnetosphere had been derived from two Mariner 10 flybys in 1974-1975 that established the presence of an intrinsic magnetic field and of some energetic and plasma electrons. Launched on August 3, 2004, MESSENGER executed the first of three flybys of Mercury on January 14, 2008. The Magnetometer provided high-resolution (0.047-nT) observations of the field, establishing firmly its dipolar nature but with substantial external components, well-defined bow shock and magnetopause crossings both inbound and outbound, and large-amplitude waves in yet to be delineated regions. The Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS) instrument consists of two sensors: The Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS), a novel fish-eye lens sensor, observed for the first time in Mercury's magnetosphere low-energy ions consisting of both heated solar wind and heavier (M/Q˜4) ions most likely originating in Mercury's exosphere and/or surface. The Energetic Particle Spectrometer (EPS) searched for ions and electrons having E˜ 15 keV, expected to be observed on the basis of Mariner 10 results, but detected none. Count rates for both ions and electrons during magnetospheric traversal were indistinguishable from background, a generous upper limit being less than 0.1 percent of the intensities reported for Mariner 10. The interplanetary magnetic field was pointing generally northward both prior to entry and after spacecraft exit from the magnetosphere. The observations provide new constraints on existing models of solar wind's interaction with the planet.

Strong Magnetic Field Characterisation

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

an advertised surface field of approximately 0.5 T were used to supply the static magnetic field source. The disc magnet had a diameter of 50 mm and... colour bar indicates the magnetic field strength set to an arbitrary 0.25 T. The white area has a field >0.25 T. The size of the arrow is proportional...9 shows the magnetic field strength along a slice in the XZ plane. The colours represent the total UNCLASSIFIED 10 UNCLASSIFIED DSTO-TR-2699

Relationship between electron field-aligned anisotropy and dawn-dusk magnetic field: Nine years of Cluster observations in the Earth magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yushkov, E.; Petrukovich, A.; Artemyev, A.; Nakamura, R.

2017-09-01

We investigate the distribution and possible origins of thermal anisotropic electrons in the Earth's magnetotail, using 9 years of Cluster observations. We mainly focus on relation between electron anisotropy and Bz and By magnetic field components (in GSM coordinates). The anisotropy of electron population is characterized by temperature ratio T∥/T⊥ and by the maximum of phase space density ratio F∥/F⊥ (∥ and ⊥ are relative to the background magnetic field). The population identified by large F∥/F⊥ is organized as short-time (dozens of seconds) bursts with enhanced F∥ and can be observed even in the plasma sheet with small T∥/T⊥. The thermal anisotropy T∥/T⊥ is larger for time intervals characterized by stronger Bz and By: the strong By corresponds to the T∥/T⊥ peak around the magnetotail neutral plane Bx=0, whereas the strong Bz corresponds to larger T∥/T⊥ with a flat profile across the magnetotail. There is a dawn-dusk asymmetry: large T∥/T⊥ corresponds mostly to strong Bz at the dusk flank and to strong By at the dawn flank. Using these differences of the electron anisotropy dependence on By and Bz, we discuss two possible mechanisms responsible for the anisotropy formation.

Effect of magnetic field inhomogeneity on ion cyclotron motion coherence at high magnetic field.

PubMed

Vladimirov, Gleb; Kostyukevich, Yury; Hendrickson, Christopher L; Blakney, Greg T; Nikolaev, Eugene

2015-01-01

A three-dimensional code based on the particle-in-cell algorithm modified to account for the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field was applied to determine the effect of Z(1), Z(2), Z(3), Z(4), X, Y, ZX, ZY, XZ(2) YZ(2), XY and X(2)-Y(2) components of an orthogonal magnetic field expansion on ion motion during detection in an FT-ICR cell. Simulations were performed for magnetic field strengths of 4.7, 7, 14.5 and 21 Tesla, including experimentally determined magnetic field spatial distributions for existing 4.7 T and 14.5 T magnets. The effect of magnetic field inhomogeneity on ion cloud stabilization ("ion condensation") at high numbers of ions was investigated by direct simulations of individual ion trajectories. Z(1), Z(2), Z(3) and Z(4) components have the largest effect (especially Z(1)) on ion cloud stability. Higher magnetic field strength and lower m/z demand higher relative magnetic field homogeneity to maintain cloud coherence for a fixed time period. The dependence of mass resolving power upper limit on Z(1) inhomogeneity is evaluated for different magnetic fields and m/z. The results serve to set the homogeneity requirements for various orthogonal magnetic field components (shims) for future FT-ICR magnet design.

Planetary Magnetic Fields and Climate Evolution